Chapter 20 Section 1

Kennedy and the Cold War

The Election of 1960

• Voters restless in 1960• Economy in recession• Soviets developed

Sputnik I and long range missiles

The Election of 1960

• Democratic nominee for President-John F. Kennedy

The Election of 1960

• Republican opponent-Richard Nixon

The Election of 1960

• 1960 election closest since 1888

• JFK wins

Kennedy the Candidate

• Well organized campaign

Kennedy the Candidate

• Had to overcome obstacles

• Only 43-many though inexperienced

• Catholic- People were afraid he would be too influenced by the Pope

Televised Debate

• Nixon/Kennedy debate was the 1st televised debate between presidential candidates

Televised Debate

• People didn’t seem to care about experience-cared more about looks and speech

Televised Debate

• Nixon lost the image battle

• JFK was coached by TV producers – looked better than Nixon

Televised Debate

• Gave JFK a boost in the polls

Kennedy and King

• October 1960-Atlanta police arrest MLK Jr.

• King sentenced to 4 months hard labor

Kennedy and King

• JFK phoned King’s wife to express sympathy

Kennedy Takes Command

• Cold War occupied much of JFK’s attention

Kennedy Takes Command

• Blasted republicans for allowing Communism to move to Cuba

Kennedy Takes Command

• Eisenhower relied on threat of massive retaliation

Kennedy Takes Command

• Developed a policy of Flexible response– Developing American

non-nuclear forces in case there was a minor conflict

Kennedy Takes Command

• Flexible Response resulted in an increase in military spending

Kennedy Takes Command

• Tripled nuclear capabilities of the US

Crisis Over Cuba

• Cuba 90 miles from the US

• Eisenhower cuts off diplomatic relations w/ Cuba 1/3/61

The Cuban Dilemma

• Castro promised democracy

• Led a guerrilla war against dictator Fulgencio Batista

The Cuban Dilemma

• US recognized new Castro govmt

• Believed Castro was a freedom fighter

The Cuban Dilemma

• Broke up commercial farms and made them communes

The Cuban Dilemma

• Others said Castro betrayed the Revolution

The Bay of Pigs

• Summer 1960- Eisenhower gave CIA permission to secretly train hundreds of Cuban exiles

The Bay of Pigs

• Approved the plan• Promised air support

to Cuban exiles• April 17, 1961 1,400

Cuban exiles landed in Southern Cuba

The Bay of Pigs

• Nothing worked• A prior air strike failed

to knock out the Cuban air force – even thought the CIA said it did

The Bay of Pigs

• The commandos that did reach the island were met by 20,000 Cuban soldiers backed by Soviet jets and tanks

The Bay of Pigs

• Castro turned this into a public relations triumph

The Bay of Pigs

• JFK embarrassed

The Bay of Pigs

• JFK negotiated w/ Castro for the return of the captured commandos

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Cuba had a powerful ally in the Soviet Union

Cuban Missile Crisis

• JFK told Soviets the US would not tolerate offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Some of these sites contained missiles ready to launch

Cuban Missile Crisis

• October 22, 1961- JFK informs nation of the Soviet missiles in Cuba

Cuban Missile Crisis

• For the next 6 days- the world faced the possibility of nuclear war

Cuban Missile Crisis

• 20,000 US troops assembled in Florida-largest invasion force ever assembled in the US

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Soviet Ships suddenly stop to avoid confrontation

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Crisis damaged Khrushchev’s prestige

• Criticized for backing down from the US

Cuban Missile Crisis

• JFK criticized as well

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Others believed JFK had been too soft

Effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis

• Many Cuban exiles blamed Democrats for “losing” Cuba and became Republicans

The Berlin Crisis

• Crisis emerged shortly after bay of Pigs fiasco

The Berlin Crisis

• In 11 years since Berlin Airlift- 3 million east Germans (20% of the E. German population) fled to West Berlin

The Berlin Crisis

• Khrushchev threatened to close off West Berlin

The Berlin Crisis

• US nuclear power prevented the Soviets from closing off Berlin

The Berlin Crisis

• Berlin wall ended Berlin crisis

• Further aggravated Col War tension

Searching for Ways to Ease Tensions

• April 1963- JFK proposed the creation of a hotline between Washington DC and Moscow

• The 2 leaders could now communicate directly should a crisis arise

Searching for Ways to Ease Tensions

• Limited Test Ban Treaty- barred nuclear testing in the atmosphere