The New Frontier and Great Society Kennedy and

The New Frontier and Great Society Kennedy and the Cold War

Election of 1960 • • 1960 economy in recession Cold War tension high Sputnik Soviet creation of long-ranged missiles Cuba and Soviet Union aligned U-2 incident Were we losing the Cold War?

Election of 1960 continued… • John F. Kennedy, Massachusetts Senator • Richard M. Nixon VP, ride coattails of Eisenhower’s popularity • Two issues put Kennedy over the top – 1. Televised debate – 2. Civil Rights

Election of 1960

The Televised Debate Affects Votes • Kennedy had a well-organized campaign; handsome and charismatic • Roman Catholic; young • September 26, 1960, 70 million viewers watched the two candidates debate the issues • Nixon, foreign policy expert expected to expose Kennedy’s inexperience • Kennedy was coached; looked and spoke much better than Nixon • Launched the television age in politics; “Image replaced the written word as the natural language of politics. ”

Kennedy and Civil Rights • In October, 1960, MLK Jr. arrested for sitting at a segregated lunch counter • Kennedy called Coretta Scott King to express sympathy • Robert Kennedy, brother and campaign manager, persuaded the judge to release King on bail, pending appeal • News of the incident captured the African American community, whose votes would help Kennedy carry key states in the Midwest and South.

Kennedy Elected

The Camelot Years • Very close election; Kennedy won by less than 119, 000 votes • Grace, elegance and wit; the inauguration invited artists, singers, scientists • Opera singer Marian Anderson who had been banned from singing at Constitution Hall because she was black • “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. ”

The Camelot Years and the Kennedy Mystique continued… • • Wife Jackie; fashion icon Pictures of their children Celebrities and artists to the White House Appeared on television Press loved him Image bolstered Talented advisors; surrounded himself with the best and brightest • Brother Robert as Attorney General • Royalty; like King Arthur’s Court

The Kennedy Mystique

A New Military Policy • Focused on the Cold War from the beginning of his presidency • Redefined the nation’s nuclear policy • Flexible response: a policy developed to prepare for a variety military responses to international crises rather than focusing on the use of nuclear weapons. • Increased defense spending of non-nuclear forces and created the Green Berets • Tripled the nuclear capabilities of the US

Crisis over Cuba • Fidel Castro – Revolutionary, communist leader of Cuba – Welcomed Soviet aid – Eisenhower had cut off diplomatic relations • Once in power, Castro seized American and British oil refineries and sugar plantations • Gave land to peasants • Became a dictator • 10% of Cuban population went into exile in Miami

The Bay of Pigs • In March 1960, President Eisenhower gave the CIA permission to secretly train the Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro • Kennedy learned of the plan 9 days after his election. With doubts, he approved it. • In April 1961, 1, 500 Cuban exiles supported by the US military landed on the Bay of Pigs • Nothing went as planned

Bay of Pigs continued… • Air strike failed to knock out Cuban air force • Small advance group sent to distract Castro’s forces never reached the shore • When main unit landed, they face 25, 000 Cuban soldiers backed by Soviet tanks and jets • Some killed, others imprisoned

The Bay of Pigs continued…

Cuba Missile Crisis • Soviets and Cubans STRONG allies • Soviets promised to defend Cuba with Soviet arms • During the summer of 1962, flow of weapons, including nuclear missiles from Soviet Union to Cuba increased • Kennedy released a warning that the US would not tolerate weapons in Cuba • Photographs revealed the weapons were ready to launch • Any missile attack from Cuba would trigger an all -out attack on the Soviet Union

Cuban Missile Crisis continued… • Kennedy ordered them to be removed • For six days the world faced the terrifying possibility of nuclear war between the US and Soviets • Soviet Ships carrying missiles in the Atlantic • Florida; 100, 000 troops waiting

Cuban Missile Crisis continued… • Soviet ships stop suddenly • Khrushchev offered to remove missiles in return for the US pledge not to invade Cuba • US secretly agreed to remove weapons from Turkey

Cuban Missile Crisis continued…

Kennedy and Khrushchev Take the Heat • The crisis damaged Khrushchev’s prestige in the Soviet Union • Criticism of Kennedy for brinkmanship • Castro closed the doors to Cuba and banned all flights • Thousands of exiles fled to Miami

Crisis over Berlin • In 11 years since the Berlin Airlift, 3 million East Germans (20% of population) fled to West Berlin, weakening the economy. • Khrushchev erected the Berlin Wall: a concrete and wire wall that severed Berlin in two • Ugly symbol of communist oppression

The Berlin Wall

Searching for Ways to Ease Tensions • The showdowns between Kennedy and Khrushchev made both leaders aware of the gravity of split-second decisions – Hot line: phone between the White House and the Kremlin – Limited Test Ban Treaty: Barred nuclear testing in the atmosphere