JFK Foreign Policy II March 26, 2020PermalinkNancy WaldoToday's AMITAmerican History, American Politics, International Relations Lead: In October 1962, President Kennedy’s foreign policy and his leadership and diplomatic skills were tested during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Unlike the Bay of Pigs, in this event he took his own counsel and scored a significant victory. Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts. Content: In July 1962, led by Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviets began to install missiles in Cuba. The Russians were convinced that a second American attack on the Castro regime was imminent. Kennedy learned of the missile sites from spy flights over the island on October 16, 1962. Six days later, he went on national television and announced: Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [73.46 KB]
JFK Foreign Policy I March 26, 2020PermalinkNancy WaldoToday's AMITAmerican History, American Politics, International Relations Lead: Foreign policy during the administration of JFK focused on thwarting the spread of communism. This led to success in Europe and failure in Vietnam and at the Bay of Pigs. Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts. Content: John Fitzgerald Kennedy was fiercely competitive, a popular US senator and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He won a hard fought campaign for both nomination and the White House. When polls indicated that voters were concerned about Fidel Castro’s dictatorship, Kennedy made Cuba an issue. During the campaign, he accused the Eisenhower administration of weakness and promised to strengthen anti-Castro forces working to overthrow the Communist dictator. After the election he authorized the CIA plan for an amphibious invasion. Launched in mid-April, the Bay of Pigs was a miserable failure. Kennedy took responsibility for the invasion and through it learned the painful lesson due a President whose trust of advisors, both civilian and military, is naïve and unconditional. Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [72.84 KB]
