JFK and the Cold War17-2
Flexible Response Thought Eisenhower
put too much emphasis on nuclear weapons
Pushed for an increase in troops as well as Special Forces
Felt this would be better for helping countries defend against communism
Aid to other Countries Kennedy felt that we needed to improve
our relationship with Latin America and look to give aid, ($20 billion over 10 year span)
Peace Corps- gave aid less fortunate countries
The Space Race The Soviets had beaten
us into Space with Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin
JFK went before Congress to push for funding to spur growth in the NASA program
1962- John Glenn became first American to orbit the earth
First Moon Landing! 1969- Apollo 11 first human beings to land on the
moonBuzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong
Cuba Fidel Castro overthrew the corrupt Cuban
dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 Almost immediately aligned himself with the
Soviet Union and the communist regime
The Bay of Pigs Invasion CIA plot, trained 1,400
Cuban exiles Exiles would help start
a revolution and overthrow Castro from power, or even kill him
Mission was a disaster!Looked terrible for JFK,
only months into presidency
Berlin Wall Goes Up July 1961- Khruschev had a wall built along the border of east and west Berlin
Built to stop Eastern Germany from escaping to West Berlin
Became a visible symbol of the Cold War
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis Oct ‘62- Soviets moved long range
missiles into Cuba that were pointed at the U.S.
Kennedy demanded they be removed
U.S. had missiles in Turkey, pointed at SU
13 days of heated debates followed
Finally both Khrushchev and Kennedy agreed to remove nuclear weapons Both sides removed nucs
Both sides agreed to lessen nuclear testing
Led to demise of Khrushchev and made SU appear inferior to US
Death of a President Nov 22, 1963- Dallas Texas JFK campaigning for 2nd term Motorcade came through Dealey Plaza 3 shots fired by Lee Harvey Oswald
1 miss, 2 through his neck and into Governor, 3 hit his head
Warren Commission put together by President Johnson to investigate assassination
Has since led to many conspiracy theories
JFK’s Legacy Only president for a little more than
1,000 days, he was loved by the American people
A symbol of youth and optimism, hope and strength
LBJ set out to promote many of JFK’s policies