1. Mr. John F. Kennedy

2. John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, also well known as “Jack”, is one of the most influential Presidents that history has ever known. In his short-lived life, he had so many amazing accomplishments that it is hard to pin point just one. However, there is one that stands apart from the rest, and some would even say that because of his logical, clear thinking, Mr. Kennedy saved the world.

3. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis “For thirteen days in October of 1962 the world waited – seemingly on the brink of nuclear war – and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis”(1).

4. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis “In October 1962, an American U-2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba.”(2) Discovered by an American U-2 spy plane: the Soviet Union was building Nuclear missile sites in Cuba John F. Kennedy and ExComm. The Naval Blockade Decision

5. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis Mr. Kennedy formed a group of special national security advisors, whom were known as ExComm. They had many important, life altering decisions to make. John F. Kennedy showed the world just how powerful the human mind can be. He was President, and he took charge, he made decisions and he saved the world.

6. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis A picture of Mr. Kennedy’s Advisors - ExComm

7. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis Mr. Kennedy and his team came up with a decision. That decision was to place a naval blockade around Cuba in the hopes for a quarantine. He didn’t want the Soviet Union to get the chance at bringing over more weapons to Cuba, so he demanded that the missiles be removed and the sites to be destroyed. By doing so, it made both of the leaders really think about what could possibly come of all of this. A Nuclear War was definitely not the answer to anything, it would only make matters worse, and it would destroy the world. Neither of them wanted this to happen, so it forced them to come to an agreement for the sake of humanity. The Soviet Union agreed to dismantle their weapons and missiles and the United States would not attack Cuba.

8. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis A picture of the U.S. Military Base, The Blockade and The Soviet Missile Site

9. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis Why he was such an influential leader and why he is followed? “The key was that each leader felt that nuclear war was an unacceptable option, but Kennedy felt that it was possible if Khrushchev were backed into a corner with no face-saving alternative. So the American president did his best to present Khrushchev with options that did not humiliate him. Kennedy tried to see the situation from the Soviet Premiers position by psychologically putting himself in Khrushchev’s shoes.”(3)

10. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis Most people will agree that Mr. John F. Kennedy used his mind to the fullest potential. He didn’t let stress get to him, and he surely did not let anything get to him. Some people say that Mr. Kennedy was too soft towards communism. He proved them wrong with his power, his strength and his passion. I believe he was a very good, influential man. From researching about this Crisis, and many other facts about his life, I believe him to be a strong willed, determined, realistic human being. It takes a great person to be able to run a country, especially such a demanding country as the United States. There will always be people out there who do not believe in you, who think your every move is wrong and in the end, Mr. Kennedy proved all of those people wrong. His passion led him to do great things, to achieve so much, and yet, it could have been the thing that ended up taking his life in the end.

11. JFK – Cuban Missile Crisis

12. Reference Page John F. Kennedy. Presidential Library and Musuem. http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Cuban-Missile- Crisis.aspx http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Cuban-Missile- Crisis.aspx John F. Kennedy. Presidential Library and Museum. http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Cuban-Missile- Crisis.aspx http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Cuban-Missile- Crisis.aspx The Cuban Missile Crisis: Decision Making Under Pressure. By James P. Pfiffner and John M. Goshko. http://www.thepresidency.org/storage/documents/Cuban_Missile_Cr isis.pdf http://www.thepresidency.org/storage/documents/Cuban_Missile_Cr isis.pdf