1. Kennedy and the Cold War
Chapter 20 Section 1
Kennedy and the Cold War

2. The Election of 1960 Voters restless in 1960 Economy in recession
Soviets developed Sputnik I and long range missiles
Military power of US falling behind Soviets
U2 incident
Cuba aligned with Soviets
Seemed like US was losing the Cold War

3. The Election of 1960 Democratic nominee for President-John F. Kennedy
Said nation was “adrift”
Promised active leadership to get America moving again

4. The Election of 1960 Republican opponent-Richard Nixon
Hoped to capitalize on Eisenhower’s popularity
Both candidates expresses similar views on policy issues

5. The Election of 1960 1960 election closest since 1888 JFK wins
2 issues put him over the top
Television
Views on civil rights

6. Kennedy the Candidate Well organized campaign
Backing of his large and wealthy family
Looks and charisma that appealed to voters

7. Kennedy the Candidate Had to overcome obstacles
Only 43-many though inexperienced
Catholic- People were afraid he would be too influenced by the Pope
Kennedy stated he would make decisions based on national interest, not outside religious pressures

8. Televised Debate
Nixon/Kennedy debate was the 1st televised debate between presidential candidates
Nixon-a foreign policy expert agreed to televised debate b/c he thought it would show Kennedy’s inexperience

9. Televised Debate
People didn’t seem to care about experience-cared more about looks and speech
70 million people watched
Both candidates seemed knowledgeable and articulate

10. Televised Debate Nixon lost the image battle
JFK was coached by TV producers – looked better than Nixon
Nixon seemed sweaty and nervous
JFK looked quick, aggressive and cool

11. Televised Debate Gave JFK a boost in the polls
Began attracting large crowds
Launched television age of American politics

12. Kennedy and King October 1960-Atlanta police arrest MLK Jr.
King sentenced to 4 months hard labor
Eisenhower refused to intervene
Nixon took no public position

13. Kennedy and King JFK phoned King’s wife to express sympathy
Robert Kennedy convinced judge to release King on bail
African American community supported JFK

14. Kennedy Takes Command Cold War occupied much of JFK’s attention
Said that the Soviets were winning the race for allies in the third world
Economically deprived countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America

15. Kennedy Takes Command
Blasted republicans for allowing Communism to move to Cuba
Kennedy took a hard line against the Soviets
Wanted to redefine our nuclear strategy

16. Kennedy Takes Command
Eisenhower relied on threat of massive retaliation
Using the threat of nuclear arms over minor conflicts was not a risk JFK wanted to take

17. Kennedy Takes Command Developed a policy of Flexible response
Developing American non-nuclear forces in case there was a minor conflict
Believed a stronger military would give the President more options in handling a crisis

18. Kennedy Takes Command
Flexible Response resulted in an increase in military spending
Boosted conventional military forces
Created Special Forces – Green Berets

19. Kennedy Takes Command Tripled nuclear capabilities of the US
Allowed the US to fight limited wars as well as maintain a nuclear balance with the Soviets

20. Crisis Over Cuba Cuba 90 miles from the US
Eisenhower cuts off diplomatic relations w/ Cuba 1/3/61
Revolutionary leader of Cuba Fidel Castro openly proclaimed himself a communist

21. The Cuban Dilemma Castro promised democracy
Led a guerrilla war against dictator Fulgencio Batista
Wanted to eliminate poverty and inequality and dictatorship
Revolutionize Cuba from “the bottom up”

22. The Cuban Dilemma US recognized new Castro govmt
Believed Castro was a freedom fighter
US/Cuban relations got worse when Cuba nationalized oil refineries own by the US & Britain

23. The Cuban Dilemma Broke up commercial farms and made them communes
Castro began to rely on Soviet aid and political repression to enact his reforms
Many liked Castro for standing up to the US

24. The Cuban Dilemma Others said Castro betrayed the Revolution
Called him a tyrant that replaced one dictator with another
10% of Cuban population left

25. The Bay of Pigs
Summer Eisenhower gave CIA permission to secretly train hundreds of Cuban exiles
Hoped their invasion of Cuba would trigger a mass uprising to overthrow Castro

26. The Bay of Pigs Approved the plan Promised air support to Cuban exiles
April 17, ,400 Cuban exiles landed in Southern Cuba

27. The Bay of Pigs Nothing worked
A prior air strike failed to knock out the Cuban air force – even thought the CIA said it did
An advance group sent to distract Castro never reached shore

28. The Bay of Pigs
The commandos that did reach the island were met by 20,000 Cuban soldiers backed by Soviet jets and tanks
All exiles were either killed or taken prisoner

29. The Bay of Pigs Castro turned this into a public relations triumph
One American commentator said we “look like fools to our friends, rascals to our enemies, and incompetent to the rest

30. The Bay of Pigs JFK embarrassed
Questioned how the CIA could have screwed up so bad
Publicly accepted blame

31. The Bay of Pigs
JFK negotiated w/ Castro for the return of the captured commandos
Had to pay Castro a ransom of $53 million in food and medical supplies

32. Cuban Missile Crisis Cuba had a powerful ally in the Soviet Union
Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba w/ Soviet weapons
Including nuclear weapons

33. Cuban Missile Crisis
JFK told Soviets the US would not tolerate offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba
October 14, photos provide evidence the Soviets were building missile bases on Cuba

34. Cuban Missile Crisis
Some of these sites contained missiles ready to launch
These missiles could hit US cities in minutes

35. Cuban Missile Crisis
October 22, JFK informs nation of the Soviet missiles in Cuba
Made it clear that a missile attack from Cuba would trigger an all-out attack on the Soviet Union

36. Cuban Missile Crisis
For the next 6 days- the world faced the possibility of nuclear war
Soviet ships w/ more missiles were heading for Cuba
US Navy quarantined Cuba-ships could not come w/in 500 miles of the island

37. Cuban Missile Crisis
20,000 US troops assembled in Florida-largest invasion force ever assembled in the US

38. Cuban Missile Crisis Soviet Ships suddenly stop to avoid confrontation
Khrushchev offered to remove missiles if the US pledged not to invade Cuba
JFK agreed
Crisis over

39. Cuban Missile Crisis Crisis damaged Khrushchev’s prestige
Criticized for backing down from the US
His own people as well as the Chinese accused Khrushchev of being weak

40. Cuban Missile Crisis JFK criticized as well
Criticized to exercising brinkmanship when private talks may have resolved the crisis w/out a threat of nuclear war

41. Cuban Missile Crisis Others believed JFK had been too soft
Said he passed up an opportunity to invade Cuba and oust Castro
This would have been a mistake- Soviets had more troops and weapons in Cuba than the CIA had estimated

42. Effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Many Cuban exiles blamed Democrats for “losing” Cuba and became Republicans
Castro closed doors to Cuban exiles
Banned all flights to and from Miami

43. The Berlin Crisis Crisis emerged shortly after bay of Pigs fiasco
West Berlin became a showcase for Democracy by 1961
Economically prosperous

44. The Berlin Crisis
In 11 years since Berlin Airlift- 3 million east Germans (20% of the E. German population) fled to West Berlin
Showcased the failure of E. German communist government

45. The Berlin Crisis Khrushchev threatened to close off West Berlin
JFK refused to give up US access to West Berlin
Pledged that Communism would not drive US out of West Berlin

46. The Berlin Crisis
US nuclear power prevented the Soviets from closing off Berlin
Instead…August 13, 1961 began building a massive wall to divide East and West Berlin

47. The Berlin Crisis Berlin wall ended Berlin crisis
Further aggravated Col War tension
Reduced flow of east Germans into west Berlin
Became an ugly symbol of Communist oppression

48. Searching for Ways to Ease Tensions
April JFK proposed the creation of a hotline between Washington DC and Moscow
The 2 leaders could now communicate directly should a crisis arise

49. Searching for Ways to Ease Tensions
Limited Test Ban Treaty- barred nuclear testing in the atmosphere