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American
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Unit V- A Nation Facing Challenges
Chapter 17 – Section 1
Kennedy and the Cold War
Kennedy and the Cold War
The Main Idea
President Kennedy continued the Cold War policy of resisting the
spread of communism by offering to help other nations and
threatening to use force if necessary.
Reading Focus
• In what ways did Kennedy’s election as president suggest
change?
• Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion take place, and with what
results?
• Why did the Berlin crisis develop, and what was its outcome?
• What caused the Cuban missile crisis, and how was war avoided?
• How did Kennedy’s foreign policy reflect his view of the world?
The First Months of the Kennedy Administration: A Country Enthralled (01:51)
President John F. Kennedy
 35th President - 1961-1963
Democrat
 Who was John F. Kennedy?-
War
Hero, Irish Catholic, Famous Political Father,
Writer, Congressman and Senator . Youngest
President
 Election of 1960
 Republican- Nixon
 Democrat- Kennedy
 Issues- Republican have a
stagnate economy, no help to old,
poor and minorities, Recession
was imminent. Schools poor,
Defense poor
“New Frontier”
 “The Great Debates” a series of four
one-hour debates on Television
 Large audience- the whole nation
 Kennedy looks good
 Outcome- Kennedy win cliffhanger
Kennedy’s Election
 John F. Kennedy – from a wealthy, politically powerful
family
 Good looking, young, and comfortable in front of the
television cameras
 People felt Kennedy represented the future
 Election of 1960
 Adopted the term “new frontier”
 Played on the nation’s Cold War fears
 Claimed the nation’s prosperity was not reaching the poor
 Rallied the African American vote when Kennedy called
Coretta King after Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested;
Robert Kennedy persuaded the judge to release King
 One of the closest elections in history
Kennedy's Personality, Intelligence, and Ideas for Reform (03:10)
Kennedy Takes Office
Inaugural Address
• Focused on change
• Strong anti-Communist tone
• Did not specify his domestic policy goals because so
much division existed over domestic issues
Kennedy’s Advisors
• Gathered a group some called “the best and the
brightest” as his advisors
• Most of Kennedy’s advisors were young.
• Closest advisor was his brother, Robert (“Bobby”)
Kennedy
• Cabinet members had less influence than White House
advisors.
January 20, 1961 (02:42) – “Ask not what your country can do for you”
Kennedy Becomes President
In what ways did Kennedy’s election as
president suggest change?
Summarize – What issues did President
Kennedy’s 1960 election platform focus
on?
Draw Conclusions- What divisions within
the country were revealed during the 1960
presidential election?
Kennedy Becomes President
Explain – How did President Kennedy’s
advisers differ from past presidential
advisers?
Draw Conclusions- Why do you think
Kennedy’s cabinet was different from his
advisory groups?
Castro Triumphs; Havana Crowds Hail Success of Revolt (02:15)
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Background
• Fidel Castro
was in power in
Cuba.
• Came to power
after a guerrilla
war, promised to
restore people’s
rights and
freedoms
• Once in power,
he seized
private
businesses and
made overtures
to Soviet Union.
Kennedy
• Kennedy learned
that the CIA was
training troops to
invade Cuba and
topple Castro.
• His advisors were
mixed.
• Kennedy was
worried about
Communism
spreading to
Latin America.
• Kennedy gave
the go-ahead.
The Invasion
• Bay of Pigs
invasion failed.
• Information was
leaked early.
• Air strikes failed.
• Castro prepared
for a land attack.
• Invaders were
captured and
ransomed back
to United States.
• Strengthened
Castro’s ties to
the Soviet Union
Castro and the Bay of Pigs - :50 sec.
Cuba and Operation Mongoose (02:35)
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
 Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion take place, and
with what results?
 Recall – Who authorized the CIA to train Cuban
exiles for the invasion?
 Recall – Why did President Eisenhower allow
the CIA to plan an invasion even though he
doubted how effective it might be?
 Summarize- Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion
fail?
August 20, 1961 (02:33) – Berlin Wall
The Berlin Crisis
Berlin’s Significance
 Khrushchev demanded that
the United States recognize
East Germany as an
independent Communist
nation.
The Berlin Wall
 On August 13, 1961,
Khrushchev closed the
crossing points between East
and West Berlin.
 West Berlin was an island of
freedom.
 A high concrete wall was built
to prevent further escapes to
freedom.
 Many East Germans fled to
West Germany through Berlin.
 Kennedy sent more troops,
and Vice President Lyndon B.
Johnson visited West Berlin.
 Kennedy refused to be bullied,
sent troops into West
Germany, built nuclear
shelters, and waited for
Khrushchev’s next move.
 Kennedy said “A wall is a … lot
better than a war.”
 Over time, the wall was
extended and fortified.
The Berlin Crisis
Why did the Berlin crisis develop and what
was its outcome?
Recall – Why did Khrushchev think that
Kennedy was a weak president?
Explain – What demands were made by
Khrushchev at the Vienna conference?
Elaborate- How did the Berlin Wall come
represent the struggle between
communism and democracy?
October 28, 1962 (02:54)
The Cuban Missile Crises
 U.S. actions in the Bay of Pigs and Berlin crises
encouraged hard-line leaders in the Soviet Union.
Buildup
 The Soviets were worried about another invasion of Cuba
and U.S. nuclear missiles placed in Turkey.
 Kennedy was worried about accusations of being “soft on
communism.”
Crisis
Begins
 A U.S. U-2 spy plane detected Soviet surface-to-air
missiles (SAMs) in Cuba.
 The Soviets argued that the SAMs were defensive
missiles and swore that they didn’t have offensive missiles
in Cuba.
 Later U-2 flights showed that the Soviets had lied.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
 Kennedy assembled a group of advisors, known as the ExComm,
to help him plan a response.
Managing
the
Crisis
 ExComm military members favored an air strike, perhaps
followed by a land invasion of Cuba.
 Others argued for a naval blockade. Kennedy agreed with this
plan.
 The world watched as Soviet ships carrying missile parts
approached the naval blockade. They turned back.
 Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missiles if the United States
pledged to never invade Cuba.
Effects
of the
Crisis
 Both Kennedy and Khrushchev took steps to ease tensions
between their countries.
 They set up a hotline to allow direct communication during times of
crisis.
 The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed, ending
atmospheric and underwater testing of nuclear weapons.
Invading Cuba: The Cuban Missile Crisis (02:11)
The Cuban Missile Crisis
What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis,
and how was war avoided?
Describe – What U.S. actions alarmed the
Soviet Union?
Describe – How did Khrushchev react to
U.S. actions?
Draw Conclusion- Do you think that
President Kennedy believed Khrushchev
when he denied placing missiles in Cuba?
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Explain – What military options did the
U.S. have in response to the Soviets
placing nuclear missiles in Cuba?
Analyze – Why was the blockade a better
choice for ending the crisis?
Develop- Why do you think President
Kennedy chose to ignore Khrushchev’s
second letter?
How did Kennedy’s foreign policy
reflect his views of the world?
Kennedy’s
Foreign
Policy
Peace
Corps
 Believed in peace that did not have to be enforced with
weapons of war
 Believed in peace for Americans and for all men and
women around the world
 Trained and sent volunteers to Africa, Asia, and Latin
America to serve for two years
 Most volunteers were young college graduates
 Increased goodwill toward the United States
Alliance
for
Progress
 Offered billions of dollars in aid to Latin America to build
schools, hospitals, roads, power plants, and low-cost
housing
 Intended to counter communism’s influence
The Peace Corps (02:18)
Kennedy Foreign Policy and the Cold
War
 Kennedy also followed the Cold War policies of his
predecessors.
 He continued the nuclear arms buildup begun by
Eisenhower.
 He continued to follow Truman’s practice of
containment.
 He developed the strategy of flexible response.
 Strengthening conventional American forces so the nation would
have other options than nuclear weapons in times of crisis
 Importance was also placed on counterinsurgency and the
development of unconventional military forces, unconventional
tactics, and “civic action” programs.
 The Kennedy doctrine did not include the ability to fight nuclear
wars because of the idea that it would undermine deterrence.
Kennedy’s Foreign Policy
How did Kennedy’s foreign policy reflect
his view of the world?
Recall – What was the purpose of the
Peace Corps?
Summarize – Why wasn’t the Alliance for
Progress as successful as the Peace
Corps?