Kennedy and the Cold War

John F. Kennedy

• 35th President of the United States

• Senator from Massachusetts

• World War II Hero Injured on PT Boat 109

Election of 1960

• Kennedy runs against VP Richard Nixon

• Americans afraid of falling behind USSR Sputnik, Soviet missiles U-2 incident Cuba aligned with USSR

Kennedy and Nixon

• Eisenhower is popular Nixon hopes it’ll help him

• Kennedy is young, smart, and handsome Promises to “Get America going again”

• Both have very similar positions

TV Debates

• Kennedy coached by TV executives

• Looks better

• Images become as important as words

Civil Rights

• MLK is arrested and put in jail

• Eisenhower does nothing Nixon has no public statement

• JFK calls MLK’s wife Robert Kennedy gets MLK released on bail

Kennedy Wins

• Closest election since 1884 Fewer than 119,000 votes Shenanigans in Chicago

• Picks a young, intelligent advisors “The best and brightest” Brother Robert as Attorney General

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Cold Warrior

• Increased defense spending Troops and ships

• Tripled nuclear capabilities

• Promised to fight in our hemisphere

Cuba

• Fidel Castro comes to power in 1959 Seized American oil

refineries

• Castro turns to the USSR

• Massive Cuban immigration to US

Bay of Pigs (April ‘61)

• CIA trains Cubans in America Planned invasion of Cuba

• 1,500 Cubans land at Bay of Pigs No air cover Face 25,000 Cubans

• Disaster for Kennedy and US

Cuban Missile Crisis (Oct ‘62)

• Soviets sneak nuclear missiles into Cuba

• US blockades Cuba Country is freaked out Russian ships turn back

• Kennedy strikes deal with USSR No invasion of Cuba by US Soviet missiles out of Cuba

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