2. 1.Harvard Graduate 2.WWII Navy Hero 3.Elected to House Reps. 1946; Elected to Senate 1952 4.Wins Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for Profiles in Courage 5.Elected President in 1960 (Defeats Richard Nixon) 6.At age of 43, the youngest and the first Roman Catholic President

4. 1.Born in a mud hut (Kalinovka, Russia 1894) 2.Worked as a boy in the Russian coal mines 3.Joins Bolshevik Party in 1918 4.Fights in the Bolshevik Revolution 5.Soviet Premier from 1956 to 1964

6. 1.Fidel Castro is Communist leader of Cuba. 2.Central Intelligence Agency planned an invasion of Cuba 3.The actual invasion was Kennedy's decision 4.The invasion was a disaster

7. 1.Kennedy and Khrushchev meet in August 1961 2.Khrushchev tried to get tough with Kennedy 3.Khrushchev threatens to cut off access to west Berlin 4.Kennedy refused to be bullied by Khrushchev 5.Khrushchev orders the construction of the Berlin Wall between east and west Berlin

11. 1.Bay of Pigs gives USSR chance to set up nuclear missile launch sites in Cuba 2.Cuba is only 90 miles south of Florida 3.Kennedy orders a naval and air blockade of Soviet shipments to Cuba 4.War between US and Soviet Union appears certain as Soviet battleships approach the US blockade 5.Khrushchev and Kennedy agree the US will not attack Cuba if the Soviets promise not to set up the missiles 6.Kennedy promises to remove our missiles (Turkey/Greece) that threatened the Soviets

18. 1957 Viet Cong ( guerrilla force, with the support of the North Vietnamese Army ) revolt against S. Vietnamese gov’t War fought over control of the South Would it be Communist, or non- Communist?

19. Begins during the Eisenhower administration He believes in containment What would Eisenhower do? Believes in the domino effect Once one nation falls to Communist influence, all would Eisenhower sends money/supplies to S. Vietnam to prevent it from falling to Communist rule

20. Builds upon Eisenhower’s work Sends more weapons/money than his predecessor

21. Continues with Kennedy’s plans Sends more weapons, money and advisors Cause of concern: N. Vietnamese soldiers in S. Vietnam 1964: Viet Cong controls most of the south August 1964: Johnson reports that N. Vietnamese ships attacked two American vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin Johnson urges Congress to take military action Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Gave president power to send troops Congress NEVER declared war

22. Johnson wins the election of ’64 Continues to increase US war effort Sends bombers to destroy N. Vietnamese supply routes Drop more bombs than on Germany in all of WWII

23. By 1965, there were 200,000 troops 1968: 500,000 US success would rely on helicopters Used to “search and destroy” Looked for Viet Cong soldiers hiding in villages, the jungle and mountains Then the US would destroy those locations US also uses Agent Orange Used to destroy plants/trees (remove foliage to find Viet Cong soldiers) Caused illness to Vietnamese and US soldiers

32. Jan. 1968 US thought they were winning until Viet Cong attacked cities throughout the South This happens during the Tet holiday, which is like New Years South Vietnam cities filled with young adults Large number of funerals also taking place Coffins were filled with weapons Youngsters were Viet Cong Viet Cong launch a surprise attack on about 100 cities in South Vietnam including Saigon Tet Offensive signals the war was far from over US/South able to fight back and reclaim cities, but with heavy casualties

33. Those who support the war: Hawks Those who did not support: Doves Many held marches to protest US involvement Many turn violent RFK speaks out against the war MLK also speaks out against the war Some men go to Canada to avoid fighting Billions being spent on a war we had no business fighting

34. Richard Nixon wins the election Campaign promised to end the war Began process of Vietnamization Objective: to train S. Vietnamese soldiers to fight their own war against the North After they were trained, US would withdraw 1969 begin to return

35. 1970: Nixon orders the bombing of Cambodia Viet Cong had bases/weapons there Kent State Worst riot Destroy property as a protest against the war National Guard sent in 4 students shot December 1970 Gulf of Tonkin repealed, so President no longer had the power to fight in Vietnam

36. 1969 Nixon sends Henry Kissinger to N. Vietnam for peace talks Negotiates for years Jan. 1973 reach a ceasefire in Paris US had to leave within 2 months After the withdrawal of the US, Vietnam continued to fight 1975 S. Vietnam surrenders to the North Becomes one Communist state

37. First the US really loses 3 million served, 58,000 die Cost = US $150 billion 365,000 wounded 1.5 million Vietnamese dead

38. US changes foreign policy Becomes more isolationist No longer felt they needed to police the world Pass the War Powers Act Limits Presidential power to make war Need permission from Congress to send troops into combat more than a few months Lack of trust in the government People want to avoid another Vietnam Many suffer from PTSD