1. 15.2 JFK and the Cold War

2. 1. Flexible Response
Soviet Union supporting “wars of national liberation”
“the greatest single problem that faces John Kennedy is how to meet the aggressive power of the Communist bloc.”
flexible response – buildup of conventional troops and weapons to help small nations fight Communism
Special forces – Green Berets

3. 2. Helping Other Countries
Alliance for Progress – aid projects with Latin America
mixed success
Peace Corps – legacy of JFK’s presidency
young Americans spend 2 years in countries that request assistance doing various service jobs

4. 3. Space Race 1957 – Sputnik launched
1961 Yuri Gagarin, Soviet astronaut, is first to orbit the earth
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon.”
1965 – three men launched into orbit in Apollo
July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin land on the moon:
“Houston, the Eagle has landed.”
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

5. COLD WAR CRISES

6. 4. Bay of Pigs
1959 Fidel Castro overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista
Immediately established alliance with Soviet Union
land reforms, seized American-owned businesses
Americans feared Soviets would use Cuba as a base
Eisenhower authorized CIA to train Cuban exiles – La Brigada – to start an uprising against Castro

7. 4. Bay of Pigs, cont.
April 17, 1961 – 1400 of La Brigada landed at Bay of Pigs
JFK tried to hide US involvement, so called back airstrikes
In 2 days, Fidel’s forces killed or captured almost all members of La Brigada
DISASTER for the US

8. 5. Berlin Wall
Khrushchev wants to stop mass exodus (emigration) of East Berliners to the west through West Berlin
He demands western powers recognized East Germany and pull out of Berlin
Kennedy refused, so Khrushchev builds the “Berlin Wall”, sealing East Berlin from West Berlin

9. 6. Cuban Missile Crisis
1962 – American intelligence picks up arrival of Soviet equipment in Cuba
October 22, Kennedy announced that spy planes had photos of long-range missiles in Cuba
Orders naval blockade of Cuba to stop delivery of more weapons and put pressure on Cuba/USSR
Americans braced for nuclear war
Secret negotiations avoided war
no invasion of Cuba
no American missiles in Turkey

10. 7. Impact of the Missile Crisis
Brought the world close to WW3 – Nuclear War
Soviets and U.S. backed down to lessen tensions
1963 agreed to treaty to ban nuclear testing in the atmosphere
Khrushchev, humiliated, falls from power in 1964
Soviet arms buildup because they are afraid of their own “missile gap”