Foreign Policy in the Early 1960s

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Foreign Policy in the Early 1960s

• APUSH

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• Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well
  or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any
  burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,
  oppose any foe to assure the survival and the
  success of liberty.
• JFKInaugural Address,1961

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The Bay of Pigs Invasion

• 1959Castro overthrew U.S.-backed dictator
  Fulgencio Batista
• Promised to improve life for the poor
• Seized large, privately owned plantations
  property owned by foreign corporartions

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The Bay of Pigs Invasion

• U.S. refused to recognize Castro-led Cuba
• Broke diplomatic relations
• Castro soon developed a relationship w/ the
  Soviet Union

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Bay of Pigs Invasion

• Plan est. by Eisenhower in 60
• CIA was training Cubans to overthrow Castro
• Training in nearby Guatemala
• Cuban people were expected to help revolution
• Resistance to plan was prevalent
• See map on p. 752

• To give this activitysupport is of a piece with
  the hypocrisy cynicism for which the United
  States is constantly denouncing the Soviet Union
  in the United Nations elsewhere. This point
  will not be lost on the rest of the worldnor on
  our own consciencesThe Castro regime is a thorn
  in the flesh but it is not a dagger in the
  heart.
• Senator William J. Fulbright, in a memo to
  President Kennedy, 1961

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Bay of Pigs Invasion

• Kennedy carried on w/ plan
• Invasion on April 17, 1961
• Total disaster
• Air strike failed to ruin Cubas air force
• Cuban troops outmatched 1,500 American soldiers
• Kennedy accepted the defeat, rather than
  increasing efforts
• Bay of Pigs video

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Bay of Pigs Invasion

• Plan was incompetent clumsy
• Embarrassment for U.S.
• Foreign leaders questioned Kennedys abilities to
  lead U.S.
• Seen as hypocritical

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The Berlin Crisis
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The Berlin Crisis

• Western regions combined to form West Germany
• Soviet-controlled East Germany
• Split Berlin w/in East Germany
• 1948Berlin Airlift was a success
• Soviet Union hoped to make the split of Berlin
  permanent
• First meeting between JFK Khruschev (1961)
  went poorly
• JFK felt bullied

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The Berlin Crisis

• Doubled number of men drafted
• Sought 200 million for fallout shelters
• West Berlin was the great testing place of
  Western courage will, a focal point where our
  solemn commitments Soviet ambitions now meet in
  basic confrontation.JFK

• JFK decided to beef up defense
• Asked Congress for increase of 3 billion

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The Berlin Crisis

• Soviet responsebuilding of the Berlin Wall
• Symbol of the Cold War
• Construction started in 1961
• Stopped flow of East Germans to the West

• The U.S. will its cities to defend yours b/c we
  need your freedom to protect ours.JFK1963
• Ich bin ein Berliner or I am a
  BerlinerJFK1963
• See diagram of Berlin Wall on p. 753

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The Cuban Missile Crisis

• S.U. pledged to support Castro
• S.U. was unhappy w/ Bay of Pigs Invasion
• Oct. 16, 1962photo taken by spy plane revealed
  Soviets were building missile bases in Cuba
• Only 90 miles from U.S. soil

• Tough decision for Kennedy

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The Cuban Missile Crisis

• Possible responses
• 1. Engage in more negotiations w/ Khruschev
• Might make JFK look weak/hesitant
• 2. Invade Cuba
• Risked all-out nuclear war w/ S.U. but chance to
  oust Castro
• 3. Blockade Cuba
• How would Khruschev respond?
• 4. Bomb the missile sites
• Would Soviet launch a counterstrike?

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The Cuban Missile Crisis

• Kennedy ordered U.S. on full alert
• U.S. bombers were armed w/ nuclear missiles
• Army, Marines, Navy were all ready to invade Cuba
• On Monday, Oct. 22 Kennedy went on TV to confirm
  that missiles were present in Cuba
• He then ordered a quarantine of Cuba, careful
  not to use the word blockade
• Blockade was considered an act of war

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Cuban Missile Crisis

• U.S. would not shrink from aggression, but did
  not desire confrontation
• The cost of freedom is always highand Americans
  have always paid it. And one path we shall never
  choose, and that is the path of surrender or
  submission. Kennedy, TV/radio address, 10/22/62
• Some people huddled in their bomb shelters
  waiting for the worst
• See bomb shelter diagram on p. 756

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Cuban Missile Crisis

• Quarantine went into effect on 10/24
• Soviet ship stopped by navy on 10/25 it was
  carrying oil allowed to proceed
• Later a dozen ships neared the quarantine line
  before turning around
• In Cuba, construction on missile sites continued
• On 10/26 Khrushchev sent Kennedy a long letter
• He promised to remove missiles if quarantine was
  ended
• 2nd letter on 10/27 demanded U.S. remove missiles
  from Turkey in exchange for withdrawal of
  missiles from Cuba
• Kennedy publicly accepted terms of 1st note
• Secretly he negotiated terms of the 2nd note

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Cuban Missile Crisis

• Standoff was over
• Sec. of State Dean Rusk? We have won a
  considerable victory. You and are still alive.
• World was closer than ever to nuclear war
• Kennedy emerged as a hero
• Khrushchev Kennedy est. a hot line
• Limited Test Ban Treaty signed in 1963
• Banned nuclear testing above the ground
• Arms race continued however

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Alliance for Progress

• Soviet Union US were competing for allies in
  developing countries of Latin America, Asia,
  Africa
• Kennedy tried to promote peaceful revolution
• Building stable, democratic governments meeting
  the needs of the people
• In 1961 JFK called on the West Hemisphere to join
  in a new Alliance for Progress

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Alliance for Progress

• Administration pledged 20 billion over 10 years
  to promote economic development and social reform
  and to prevent revolution
• Land for the landless, and education for those
  who are denied education
• A right to social justice
• Never lived up to JFKs expectations due to
  widespread doubts

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The Peace Corps

• Est. in 1961
• Volunteers sent abroad as educators, health
  workers technicians
• Better standard of living in developing countries
• See p. 758 to learn about the Peace Corps today

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Johnsons Foreign Policy

• Focused on containing communism
• Sent 22K marines to Dominican Republic to put
  down rebellion
• Rebellion stopped
• Govt backed by U.S. implemented
• 16K military advisors in Vietnam by 1963
• Opposed further involvement in 64 campaign
• But faced increasing prospects of a Communist
  takeover of S. Vietnam