1. History 17C The American People, World War I to the Present 1

2. Mutual Assured Destruction 2

3. Themes From the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, both the United States and the Soviet Union made genuine, and to some extent successful, efforts to ease Cold War tensions 3

4. Themes But advances in military technology introduced a dangerous new dimension; disagreements over how to use new technologies threatened to derail US-Soviet relations and even to plunge the world into global war 4

5. Nikita Khrushchev General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1953-1964 5

6. ... succeeding Joseph Stalin 6

7. Nikita Khrushchev General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1953-1964 7

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14. Khrushchev’s dilemmas Wanted to ease tensions with West, but also needed to shore up revolutionary credentials in communist world 14

15. Khrushchev’s dilemmas Wanted the USSR to be recognized as military equal of US, but knew USSR was much weaker 15

16. Mid- to late 1950s— Khrushchev conceded US superiority in bombers and concentrated instead on developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICMBs) 16

17. Summer 1957—USSR tested first ICBM 17

18. October 1957—USSR Launched Sputnik, causing panic in US 18

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20. October 1957—USSR Launched Sputnik, causing panic in US 20

21. From U-2 spy flights, Eisenhower knew how weak USSR was, but because U-2 was secret he couldn’t reassure American people 21

22. Post-Sputnik investments in education and scientific research 22

23. In wake of Sputnik, Democrats accused Eisenhower administration of failing to meet Soviet challenge; also accused Eisenhower of failing to win over Third World countries Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy 23

24. VP Richard Nixon in South America, 1958 24

25. US-Cuban relations Prerevolutionary Cuba 25

26. Fulgencio Batista Cuban President 1940-1944, 1952-1959 26

27. January 1959—Fidel Castro overthrew Batista and took over Cuban government 27

28. 1960—Castro aligned with Moscow 28

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30. July 1959—VP Richard Nixon visited Moscow, engaged in “Kitchen Debate” with Khrushchev 30

31. September 1959— Khrushchev visited United States 31

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33. September 1959— Khrushchev visited United States 33

34. September 1959— Khrushchev visited United States 34

35. Eisenhower agreed to visit USSR in following year 35

36. U-2 Affair, 1960 36

37. May 1960—Soviets shot down U-2 plane and captured Francis Gary Powers 37

38. Khrushchev with wreckage of Powers’s spy plane 38

39. Powers on trial in Moscow 39

40. U-2 Affair derailed plans for Moscow summit 40

41. In 1960 presidential election, John F. Kennedy accused Eisenhower administration of “losing” Cuba, and of allowing “missile gap” favoring USSR Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate 41

42. November 1960—Kennedy narrowly elected 42

43. April 1961—Kennedy launched “Bay of Pigs” invasion, which ended in fiasco 43

44. After Bay of Pigs Kennedy administration stepped up efforts to assassinate Castro (Operation Mongoose) 44

45. After Bay of Pigs Kennedy administration stepped up efforts to assassinate Castro (Operation Mongoose) 45

46. After Bay of Pigs Kennedy administration stepped up efforts to assassinate Castro (Operation Mongoose) 46

47. After Bay of Pigs Kennedy administration stepped up efforts to assassinate Castro (Operation Mongoose) 47

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49. June 1961—Khrushchev and Kennedy met in Vienna; Khrushchev unimpressed 49

50. Summer 1961— Khrushchev issued ultimatum on Berlin: Four Powers must make it a “free city,” or else USSR will turn over access routes to East Germany 50

51. Kennedy responded by activating reservists, conducting massive military buildup, and encouraging Americans to build fallout shelters 51

52. August 1961—East German authorities erected barbed wire barrier between East and West Berlin; later became Berlin Wall 52

53. August 1961—East German authorities erected barbed wire barrier between East and West Berlin; later became Berlin Wall 53

54. October 1961— Kennedy administration revealed extent of Soviet nuclear inferiority Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara with Deputy Defense Secretary Roswell Gilpatrick 54

55. 1962—Khrushchev secretly arranged to deploy intermediate range ballistic missiles, (IRBMs) and medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) in Cuba 55

56. Intermediate range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) Medium range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) 56

57. October 1962—US discovered missile sites in Cuba 57

58. 58 October 1962—JFK set up Executive Committee (ExComm) to decide what to do

59. October 1962—US imposed blockade against Cuba; JFK publicly demanded removal of missiles 59

60. Khrushchev offered to remove missiles if US pledged not to invade Cuba and dismantled Jupiter missiles in Turkey 60

61. US Jupiter missiles in Turkey 61

62. JFK essentially accepted deal but kept Jupiter part secret—made it seem as if Khrushchev had backed down 62

63. JFK’s secret assurances via U Thant 63

64. JFK essentially accepted deal but kept Jupiter part secret—made it seem as if Khrushchev had backed down 64

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66. US-Soviet “Hotline” 66

67. Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 1963 67

68. Kennedy’s American University Speech, June 1963 68