Kennedy and the Cold War

1
Kennedy and the Cold War

• Escalating tensions in the early 60s

2
What was the overall mood of the nation in 1960?

• People were afraid and felt inferior to the
  Soviet Union.
• Our nation was in a recession, Sputnik
  demonstrated we were behind the Russians, our spy
  plane had been shot down, and Cuba and the USSR
  had forged an alliance.
• In other words, we were in a period of
  uncertainty.

3
Election of 1960

• Who were the candidates?
• What was the result?
• How was this election different from previous
  ones?

4
1960 Election

• JFK and Richard Nixon were the candidates.
• JFK won the election narrowly over Nixon (119,000
  votes)
• The 1960 election featured the first televised
  debate between the two candidates, which many
  believe helped Kennedy to win.
• Also, Kennedy made civil rights an issue by
  intervening in Dr. Kings 1960 arrest, helping
  bring the civil rights vote to his camp.

5
How did JFK plan to fight the Cold War?

• JFK believed that the Soviets were winning the
  race for allies in the third world and that the
  US needed to make a greater presence in these
  regions by aiding these nations.
• He also redefined the nations nuclear strategy
  from one of massive retaliation to one of
  flexible response.

6
What was flexible response?

• Kennedy and his advisors believed too much
  attention had been placed on nuclear weapons and
  that a buildup of conventional weapons/warfare
  needed to occur as well.

7
What steps did JFK take to implement flexible
response?

• During his presidency, defense spending was
  greatly increased, the Green Berets were
  organized, and the nations supply of nuclear
  weapons was tripled.

8
Even with these changes, it was during JFKs
tenure that the nation became very close to a
showdown with the Soviets over Cuba.
9
Why was Cuba an area of controversy?

• In 1959, Cubas government was overthrown by
  rebels led by Fidel Castro.
• He and his followers had overthrown dictator
  Fulgencio Batista, and promised to revolutionize
  Cuba.
• Initially the US embraced Castro. However, he
  eventually nationalized industries and embraced
  communism, leading to a severing of diplomatic
  relations between the two nations.
• With Cuba, the USSR had a foothold in the Western
  Hemisphere.

10
What 2 events with Cuba led to increased tensions?

• The Bay of Pigs Incident
• The Cuban Missile Crisis

11
The Bay of Pigs Incident-What was it?

• In 1960, President Eisenhower had authorized the
  CIA to train hundreds of Cuban exiles to invade
  Cuba and overthrow Castro.
• When Kennedy took over, he learns of the plan and
  approves its launch. The exiles would invade
  with air support from the United States.

12
The Bay of Pigs

• Unfortunately, when the operation was launched on
  April 17, 1961, it was a disaster.
• The air campaign did not achieve its objectives,
  and the land invasion failed miserably as many
  will killed and captured by Soviet-aided Cuban
  forces.
• Castro turns the event into a PR victory, and
  Kennedy eventually gives Castro 53 million in
  aid in exchange for the release of prisoners.

13
The Cuban Missile Crisis

• While the Bay of Pigs was a embarrassment to the
  United States, the Cuban Missile Crisis further
  strained relations between the United States,
  Cuba, and the Soviet Union.
• During the summer of 1962, Soviet weapon
  shipments to Cuba increased dramatically in spite
  of Kennedys warning to resist Communist
  expansion in the Western Hemisphere.

14
The Cuban Missile Crisis

• On October 14, 1962, US spy planes provided the
  president with evidence that the Soviets were
  secretly building missile bases on Cuba, with
  some containing nuclear weapons.
• As a result, the Soviets had nuclear weapons 90
  miles away from the United States that could
  reach major population centers in minutes.

15
If you were the President, what would you do?
16
Kennedys Response to the Missiles in Cuba

• On October 22, 1962, the President delivered a
  speech to the nation informing them of the
  situation. He makes it clear that any attack
  from Cuba would result in a full response from
  the United States.

17
The Cuban Missile Crisis

• For the next six days, a game of showdown ensued.
• Soviet ships presumably carrying more missiles
  headed toward Cuba. At the same time, the US
  Navy had been given orders to blockade the island
  and stop any ship from coming within 500 miles of
  the island.
• At the same time, a force of 200,000 troops were
  preparing in Florida.

18
Was the nation headed to war?
19
The Cuban Missile Crisis

• However, a break occurs when the Soviet ships
  headed toward Cuba stop.
• A few days later, Soviet leader Khrushchev
  offered to remove the missiles from Cuba if the
  United States promised not to invade the island
  nation.
• Kennedy agrees and the crisis is soon over, but
  now without criticism over how it was handled.

20
Fallout of the Missile Crisis

• Khrushchev's prestige in the Soviet Union and the
  world was damaged because of how he handled the
  situation.
• Kennedy was also criticized for practicing
  brinkmanship and for not going after Castro.
• Castro stayed in power, but his relationship with
  the US was forever changed.

21
What happened in Europe during the Kennedy
presidency?

• While tensions were high with Cuba, other events
  occurred in Europe, especially in Berlin, that
  helped escalate the Cold War.
• There, a showdown between East and West Berlin
  was occurring.

22
Why were people fleeing in huge numbers from East
Berlin?

• West Berlin was a thriving city that attracted
  many because of its good economy in comparison to
  that of East Berlin.

23
What was the Communists response?

• As a result of the large numbers of people
  fleeing East Berlin, the Communist
  government-under pressure from the Soviets-wanted
  to cut off ties with West Berlin.
• Kennedy refused to give up US access to West
  Berlin, which further angers Khrushchev.

24
Communists Response in Berlin

• On August 13, 1961, East German troops rolled out
  concrete posts and barbed wire, setting up a
  border between East and West Berlin.
• A few days later, the posts and barbed wire was
  replaced with a concrete structure that would be
  known as the Berlin Wall.
• This structure would be the best physical
  representation of the Cold War for years to come.

25
Did tensions remain high?

• After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both Kennedy and
  Khrushchev made attempts to ease tensions between
  the two nations.
• In 1963, a hot line had been established between
  the White House and the Kremlin. (Also known
  commonly as the red phone.)
• The two nations also later agreed to a Limited
  Test Ban Treaty, barring nuclear testing in the
  atmosphere.
• Thus, in less than one year, it looked as though
  tensions between the US and USSR were lessening.