2. Kennedy and Cuba
* US History

3. The election of 1960
Vice President Richard Nixon was the Republican nominee
MA Senator John Kennedy was the Democratic nominee
Kennedy was seen as more charismatic than Nixon
First televised Presidential debate

4. Kennedy Wins
Despite voters concerns about John Kennedy’s catholic faith they elected him to be the President
Extremely close election
Difference of .10% of the vote
Both Kennedy and Nixon supported Civil Rights reforms but Kennedy gained support by intervening when Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested.
Nixon is written off as a political has-been.

5. Camelot
Kennedy the youngest President elected to office, 43 years old.
He had a young family and a young wife
Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy
Caroline and John Jr.
Many American felt a youth and vigor in the White House
Kennedy’s term is seen as a fairytale time in DC

6. Kennedy and the Cold War
Almost immediately after coming into office Kennedy was forced to deal with issues on the global stage.
In his inauguration he said:
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
What does this quote tell us about Kennedy’s foreign policy? 

7. Kennedy and the Cold War
Kennedy believed that America could gain standing in the world by helping poor nations develop
Created the Peace Corp in March of 1961
Wanted to give young Americans an opportunity to serve underdeveloped nations for a short time

8. The Space Race
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched an artificial satellite called “Sputnik”
First time this was accomplished
Americans were afraid of being technologically outperformed by the Soviets
Leads to a race between the US and USSR to see who could advance faster in space development
In May of 1961 Kennedy promises that America will land a man on the moon
The “Moon Shot Speech”

9. Kennedy and Cuba
In 1959 Communist revolutionaries lead by Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government.
In 1961, Kennedy authorized a military invasion of the island of Cuba by exiled Cubans in an attempt to overthrow Castro.
Called the “Bay of Pigs” invasion
Kennedy does not provide air support for the troops and they are quickly subdued by Castro’s forces
Seen as a major military blunder for Kennedy

10. Effects of the Bay of Pigs
Castro lost all trust in Kennedy, expected more invasions
Kennedy begins to ramp up sanctions against Cuba
In September of 1962 Kennedy signs an embargo that bans all trade between Cuba and the United States.
Tension with the Cubans (Soviets) was at an all time high.

11. The Cuban Missile Crisis
Castro’s ally: Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. (Stalin died in March 1953)
Promised to defend Cuba militarily
Summer 1962-Soviet weapons to Cuba, including nuclear missiles, increased greatly.
JFK warned that would not tolerate offensive nukes in Cuba.
Oct 14: photos show Soviet missile bases in Cuba with missiles ready to launch.
Could reach the US in minutes.

12. Cuban Missile Crisis
Oct 22: JFK tells the nations about the missiles and his plans (?) to remove them.
Any missile attack from Cuba would trigger and all-out attack on the Soviet Union.
Soviet ships headed towards Cuba
US Navy prepared to quarantine Cuba to prevent the ships from coming within 500 miles of it.
In FL, 100,00 troops waited.
The fear was very real and terrifying.

13. The End
First break in the crisis: Soviet ships stopped suddenly to avoid fight at sea. Secretary of State Dean Rusk: “We are eyeball to eyeball, and the other fellow just blinked.”
Few days later Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles if JFK promised to not invade Cuba.
Secretly JFK agreed to remove missiles from Turkey.
“For a moment, the world had stood still, and now it was going around again.” -RFK