Kennedy and the Cold War

Kennedy and the Cold War As the election of 1960 approached, Americans were growing concerned with the growing rivalry between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Civil rights were also an issue that needed to be addressed. Though the two candidates, Nixon and Kennedy had similar backgrounds, they also had major differences. Kennedy was from a wealthy family, whereas Nixon had to work as a teenager. Many people also respected Nixon for his role as Eisenhower’s vice-president.

Kennedy and the Cold War Ultimately, it was television that made the difference between the two candidates. In televised debates, Nixon appeared disheveled and had recently been released from the hospital. Kennedy, however, looked relaxed, freshly tanned and younger. Those that watched the debate on TV believed that Kennedy had won, whereas those who had listened on the radio thought Nixon had won. The election was won by Kennedy by ~120,000 votes.

Kennedy and the Cold War Kennedy encouraged and inspired hope in the American people. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Around the world, Kennedy used ‘missions of peace’ to improve relations. Under his presidency, the Peace Corps began in 1961 and provided technical, educational and health services to ‘Third World’ countries. These were the countries not under the influence of the U.S. or Soviet Union. The Alliance for Progress provided economic aid, specifically to Latin America.

Kennedy and the Cold War During Eisenhower’s presidency, Cuba had fallen to the communist leader Fidel Castro. Many also believed that there was now as ‘missile gap’ between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This meant that the Soviets were out producing the U.S. in nuclear weaponry.

Kennedy and the Cold War Although the U.S. originally attempted to have peace with Cuba, it soon became clear that would not happen. Wealthy and middle-class Cubans had fled to Miami to escape Castro’s regime. Under Eisenhower, some of these exiles had been trained for an invasion of Cuba. In a failed attempt known as the Bay of Pigs invasion, these exiles and few CIA members were outnumbered and unprepared. This turned many Cuban-Americans against Kennedy. However, it garnered him support with the American people because he claimed responsibility for the incident.

Kennedy and the Cold War Tensions heightened between the two when the CIA discovered the Soviets building missile sites in Cuba. Kennedy enacted a naval blockade (‘quarantine’) of Cuba (publicly) while working behind the scenes with Krushchev to negotiate a tradeoff. After 6 days, the standoff between the two ended. The S.U. promised to remove the missiles, and the U.S. agreed to remove missiles from Turkey (which threatened the Soviet Union).

Kennedy and the Cold War After the Cuban Missile Crisis, public opinion of Kennedy grew, and a “hot line” was installed between the Soviet Union and the U.S. This directly connected Washington, D.C. to Moscow. The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty banning atmospheric, space and underwater nuclear weapons testing was also signed.

Kennedy and the Cold War When Krushchev and Kennedy attended a conference in 1961 aimed at alleviating tensions, the opposite happened. Krushchev wanted to merge West Berlin with East Germany. However, Kennedy would not give up the zone to occupation. The Berlin Wall became a visible sign of the tensions, separating East and West Berlin.