Kennedy Intensifies the
Cold War
Kennedy Intensifies the Cold War
■Addressing U.S. foreign policy &
containing Communism was
JFK’s top priority as president:
–JFK believed Ike compromised
with the USSR when the Cold
“Let every
whether
wishes us
Warnation
couldknow,
have
been itwon
well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear
–JFK aimed
close the
“missile
any burden,
meet anytohardship,
support
any
friend, oppose
any
foe to assure
survival &
gap” &
increase
U.S.thedefenses
the success
of
liberty.
We
will
do
this
&
more.”
–Looked to solve issues in Berlin,
—JFK’s inaugural address
Vietnam, & Cuba
Flexible Response
■JFK shifted from Ike’s “mutually
assured destruction” to a “flexible
response” capable of responding
to a variety of future problems:
JFK was
convincednuclear
that the USSR
had to
more
–Increased
arsenal
missiles,
but really
the U.S. had
the
lead with
To
combat
Communism
&
to
help
1,000
ICBMs
&
32
Polaris
subs
600
B-52s, 2 Polaris
subs, 2,000
warheads
underdeveloped
countries,
JFK
created
to create a “first-strike”
the Peace Corps & the Alliance for Progress
capability
–Increased the army & air force
–Expanded covert operations &
Space
Race
TheThe
Apollo
Program
■JFK hoped to avoid another
Sputnik & hoped to beat the
Soviets to the moon:
–JFK greatly expanded NASA &
announced that the U.S. would
get to the moon by 1970
–The U.S. landed a man on the
moon in 1969
Crisis over Berlin
■JFK’s 1st confrontation with the
Soviet Union came in Berlin:
–Khrushchev was upset with the
exodus of skilled workers from
East Germany to West Berlin
–The USSR threatened to
remove all U.S. influence from
West Berlin, but settled on
building the Berlin Wall in 1961
“Ich bin ein Berliner”
—JFK, 1963
The Berlin Crisis
Berlin’s Significance
■ Khrushchev demanded that
the United States recognize
East Germany as an
independent Communist
nation.
The Berlin Wall
■ On August 13, 1961,
Khrushchev closed the
crossing points between
East and West Berlin.
■ West Berlin was an island
of freedom.
■ A high concrete wall was
built to prevent further
escapes to freedom.
■ Many East Germans fled to
West Germany through
Berlin.
■ Kennedy sent more troops,
and Vice President Lyndon
B. Johnson visited West
Berlin.
■ Kennedy refused to be
bullied, sent troops into
West Germany, built
nuclear shelters, and waited
for Khrushchev’s next
move.
■ Kennedy said “A wall is a
… lot better than a war.”
■ Over time, the wall was
extended and fortified.
Containment in Vietnam
■Vietnam proved tough test:
–Since 1954, Communist leader
Ho Chi Minh gained popularity
in North Vietnam; By 1961, he
“Strongly
in our
mind is what
in
gained
a foothold
in happened
the South
China at the end of World War 2, where
–Thewas
U.S.
aid
unpopular
China
lost.gave
We don
’t to
want
that.”
South leader Ngo Dihn—JFK
Diem
–When Diem lost control of the
South, JFK gave the OK for a
coup against Diem in 1963
Monk Quang Duc protested Diem’s
treatment of Buddhists
Containing Castro: Bay of Pigs
■Fidel Castro took over Cuba in
1959 & developed ties with Russia
–The Eisenhower administration
(directed
by the
CIA) had been
JFK blamed
the Republicans
for
training
Cuban
exiles satellite”
for an
allowing
a “communist
to arise &
onoverthrow
“our very doorstep”
invasion
of Castro
–In 1961, JFK gave the OK for
the CIA to initiate the Bay of
Pigs invasion
The invasion called for U.S. air support
but JFK canceled the air strike; without air
support, Castro squashed the invasion
Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure
of Bay of Pigs, but did not apologize for coup
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Background
• Fidel Castro
was in power in
Cuba.
• Came to power
after a guerrilla
war, promised to
restore people’s
rights and
freedoms
• Once in power,
he seized
private
businesses and
made overtures
to Soviet Union.
Kennedy
• Kennedy learned
that the CIA was
training troops to
invade Cuba and
topple Castro.
• His advisors were
mixed.
• Kennedy was
worried about
Communism
spreading to
Latin America.
• Kennedy gave
the go-ahead.
The Invasion
• Bay of Pigs
invasion failed.
• Information was
leaked early.
• Air strikes failed.
• Castro prepared
for a land attack.
• Invaders were
captured and
ransomed back
to United States.
• Strengthened
Castro’s ties to
the Soviet Union
Cuban&Missile
24 medium-range
18 shortCrisis
range ICBMs
■To protect Cuba from another
U.S. invasion, the USSR began a
secret build-up of nuclear missiles
■On Oct 14, 1962 a U-2 spy plane
discovered Cuban missile camps
■How would the U.S. respond?
Immediate air strike?
Full-scale Cuba
invasion?
Kennedy chose to “quarantine”
to
keep new
missiles
out & an invasion of
Diplomacy:
trade
nukes in
Naval
blockade
to
if the USSR
did not remove its nukes
CubaCuba
for nukes
in Turkey?
keep warheads out?
Kennedy announced a quarantine (blockade) to
The
Cuban
Missile
Crisis
"We
are
eyeball
to
eyeball,
and
the
keep more missiles out & demanded that the
other
fellow
just
blinked."
Soviets remove the missiles already in Cuba
—Sec of State, Dean Rusk
And…U.S.
removal
of
Cuban
Missile
Crisis
nuclear
weapons
in
Turkey
■The standoff ended when Russia
removed its Cuban missiles & the
USA vowed to never invade Cuba
“Our most basic common link is the fact that
impact
the crisis:
we■The
all inhabit
this of
planet.
We all breathe the
same –Seen
air. We all
cherish
our
children
’
s
future.
as
a
political
victory
for
JFK
We are all mortal.”
—JFK
–Installed a “hot line” to improve
US-Soviet communications
–This near-nuclear war convinced
both sides to move from
confrontation to negotiation
The Cuban Missile Crises
■ U.S. actions in the Bay of Pigs and Berlin crises
encouraged hard-line leaders in the Soviet Union.
Buildup
■ The Soviets were worried about another invasion of
Cuba and U.S. nuclear missiles placed in Turkey.
■ Kennedy was worried about accusations of being
“soft on communism.”
Crisis
Begins
■ A U.S. U-2 spy plane detected Soviet surface-to-air
missiles (SAMs) in Cuba.
■ The Soviets argued that the SAMs were defensive
missiles and swore that they didn’t have offensive
missiles in Cuba.
■ Later U-2 flights showed that the Soviets had lied.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
■
– ExComm military members favored an air strike, perhaps
followed by a land invasion of Cuba.
Managing
the
Crisis
Effects
of the
Crisis
Kennedy assembled a group of advisors, known as the ExComm,
to help him plan a response.
– Others argued for a naval blockade. Kennedy agreed with this
plan.
■
The world watched as Soviet ships carrying missile parts
approached the naval blockade. They turned back.
■
Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missiles if the United States
pledged to never invade Cuba.
■
Both Kennedy and Khrushchev took steps to ease tensions
between their countries.
■
They set up a hotline to allow direct communication during times
of crisis.
■
The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed, ending
atmospheric and underwater testing of nuclear weapons.
How did Kennedy’s foreign policy reflect his
views of the world?
Kennedy’s
Foreign
Policy
Peace
Corps
■ Believed in peace that did not have to be enforced with
weapons of war
■ Believed in peace for Americans and for all men and
women around the world
■ Trained and sent volunteers to Africa, Asia, and Latin
America to serve for two years
■ Most volunteers were young college graduates
■ Increased goodwill toward the United States
Alliance
for
Progress
■ Offered billions of dollars in aid to Latin America to build
schools, hospitals, roads, power plants, and low-cost
housing
■ Intended to counter communism’s influence
Kennedy Foreign Policy and the Cold War
■ Kennedy also followed the Cold War policies of
his predecessors.
■ He continued the nuclear arms buildup begun
by Eisenhower.
■ He continued to follow Truman’s practice of
containment.
■ He developed the strategy of flexible
response.
– Strengthening conventional American forces
so the nation would have other options than
nuclear weapons in times of crisis
To what degree was the USA
winning the Cold War from
1945-1963?
The Cold
under
Truman:
1945-1952
TheWar
Cold
War:
1948-1975
The Cold
under
Eisenhower:
1953-1960
TheWar
Cold
War:
1948-1975
The Cold
under
Kennedy:
1961-1963
TheWar
Cold
War:
1948-1975