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 War could have been won JFK aimed to close the “missile gap” & increase U.S. defenses Looked to solve issues in Berlin, Vietnam, & Cuba “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 & the success of liberty. We will do this & more.” —JFK’s inaugural address

Flexible Response JFK shifted from Ike’s “mutually assured destruction” to a “flexible response” capable of responding to a variety of future problems: Increased nuclear arsenal to 1,000 ICBMs & 32 Polaris subs to create a “first-strike” capability Increased the army & air force Expanded covert operations & created the Green Berets JFK was convinced that the USSR had more missiles, but really the U.S. had the lead with 600 B-52s, 2 Polaris subs, 2,000 warheads To combat Communism & to help underdeveloped countries, JFK created the Peace Corps & the Alliance for Progress

The Space Race The 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

Berlin’s Significance The Berlin Crisis Berlin’s Significance Khrushchev demanded that the United States recognize East Germany as an independent Communist nation. West Berlin was an island of freedom. Many East Germans fled to West Germany through Berlin. Kennedy refused to be bullied, sent troops into West Germany, built nuclear shelters, and waited for Khrushchev’s next move. The Berlin Wall On August 13, 1961, Khrushchev closed the crossing points between East and West Berlin. A high concrete wall was built to prevent further escapes to freedom. Kennedy sent more troops, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visited West Berlin. 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 gained a foothold in the South The U.S. gave aid to unpopular South leader Ngo Dihn Diem When Diem lost control of the South, JFK gave the OK for a coup against Diem in 1963 “Strongly in our mind is what happened in China at the end of World War 2, where China was lost. We don’t want that.” —JFK

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 training Cuban exiles for an invasion & overthrow of Castro In 1961, JFK gave the OK for the CIA to initiate the Bay of Pigs invasion JFK blamed the Republicans for allowing a “communist satellite” to arise on “our very doorstep”

The invasion called for U. S 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 Crisis 24 medium-range & 18 short 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 invasion? Kennedy chose to “quarantine” Cuba to keep new missiles out & an invasion of Cuba if the USSR did not remove its nukes Diplomacy: trade nukes in Cuba for nukes in Turkey? Naval blockade to keep warheads out?

The Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy announced a quarantine (blockade) to keep more missiles out & demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles already in Cuba The Cuban Missile Crisis "We are eyeball to eyeball, and the other fellow just blinked." —Sec of State, Dean Rusk

And…U.S. removal of nuclear weapons in Turkey Cuban Missile Crisis And…U.S. removal of nuclear weapons in Turkey The standoff ended when Russia removed its Cuban missiles & the USA vowed to never invade Cuba The impact of the crisis: Seen as a political victory for JFK Installed a “hot line” to improve US-Soviet communications This near-nuclear war convinced both sides to move from confrontation to negotiation “Our most basic common link is the fact that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. We are all mortal.” —JFK

The Cuban Missile Crises U.S. actions in the Bay of Pigs and Berlin crises encouraged hard-line leaders in the Soviet Union. 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.” Buildup 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. Crisis Begins

The Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy assembled a group of advisors, known as the ExComm, to help him plan a response. ExComm military members favored an air strike, perhaps followed by a land invasion of Cuba. 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. Managing the Crisis 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. Effects of the Crisis

How did Kennedy’s foreign policy reflect his views of the world? 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 Kennedy’s Foreign Policy 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 Peace Corps 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 Alliance for Progress

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 War: 1948-1975 The Cold War under Truman: 1945-1952

The Cold War: 1948-1975 The Cold War under Eisenhower: 1953-1960

The Cold War: 1948-1975 The Cold War under Kennedy: 1961-1963