1. Kennedy Administration
Ch 20 Sect 1
                       
                       
Kennedy
Administration

2. I. Election of 1960
John F. Kennedy (D) v. Richard Nixon (R and Eisenhower’s VP)
Very close race…JFK had 2 advantages, TV and Civil Rights.
1st Televised debate (70 million viewers)
African-American vote helped Kennedy win by 119,000 votes – Camelot Years

3. II. Kennedy started new Foreign Policy
Wanted to meet threats in 3rd World Countries where guerilla warfare was common
Approach called “flexible response”
Trained soldiers in modern warfare
Special forces – Green Berets
Also established Peace Corps to work in developing areas

4. III. Bay of Pigs Invasion
Eisenhower planned to invade Cuba to overthrow Communists (Castro) & reinstate Democracy
April 17, ,000 Cuban exiles armed & trained by U.S., landed at Bay of Pigs:
Immediately bogged down in rough terrain & hostile fire
Things went terribly – Air strikes missed targets, 25,000 Soviet-backed Cuban soldiers waited
Blame was placed on CIA & Military; Lack of info

5. IV. Berlin Wall (see pg. 677)
Allied forces in Berlin still made Soviets uneasy
August 13, 1961 East Germans began construction of Berlin Wall – concrete & barbed wire w/ armed guards
Stayed as symbol of Cold War until dismantled in 1990.
1963 – Limited Test Ban Treaty passed, US & Soviets agreed to ban nuclear testing in atmosphere.
         

6. V. Cuban Missile Crisis
October 1962 – U2 spy plane discovered Soviets building nuclear missile launch site in Cuba
WHY?
1. US had missiles in Turkey
2. Weapons would stop us from invading Cuba again

7. Cuban Missile Crisis cont…
Kennedy’s Choices:
Invade Cuba
Bomb the Missile Site
Set up Quarantine to prevent weapons from reaching Cuba
Negotiate a Settlement
Allow the Missiles to Stay
STOP HERE!

8. VI. Results of the Crisis:
Kennedy Chose Option 3 – Quarantine of Soviet Ships
Last moment, ships turned around back to Soviet Union
Khrushchev agreed to stop building site if we agree not to invade Cuba – we agreed
Long-range result – Largest peacetime military buildup in history!