#2 Kennedy and the Cold War On Back JFK’s military policy • flexible response – fight conventional wars, keep nuclear arms balances • defense spending increases: o strengthens conventional forces o creates army special forces (Green Berets) o triples nuclear capabilities JFK & civil rights
• helps Martin Luther King Jr. get out of jail • makes Frederick Douglass’ home a national monument US & Cuba • revolutionary leader Fidel Castro takes over in 1959 o began transforming Cuba into a communist nation o seizes US properties ƒ Eisenhower cuts off diplomatic relations o 10% of Cuban population goes into exile (most in Miami) Bay of Pigs • Cuban exiles (w/ help of CIA) plan invasion of Cuba • plans go all wrong; most exiles killed or captured Cuban Missile Crisis (page 675) • Khrushchev sends weapons to Cuba (including nuclear missiles) • JFK warns soviets to remove missiles –or attack on USSR • US blockades Cuba • Soviets avoid confrontation and reach an agreement with US Front What were some of the factors that helped JFK win the presidency? 1. voter restlessness; an economic recession; Kennedy’s poise during the TV debte; Kennedy’s frankness about the religious issue; coming to the aid of Martin Luther King Jr.; his good looks and charisma; his well‐organized campaign; the Kennedy family’s wealth What were the results of the Bay of Pigs invasion? 2. invaders killed or jailed; Kennedy embarrassed; a public relations triumph for Castro; ransom paid for release of invaders How was the Berlin crisis resolved? (by 1961, 20% of E. Germans had fled to the West) 3. the Berlin Wall built; the flow of refugees reduced What were the effects of the Cuban missile crisis? 4. Khrushchev’s prestige damaged; Kennedy criticized (brinkmanship, not ousting Castro); Cuban exiles switched allegiance from the Democratic party to the GOP; Castro banned flights between Cuba and Miami Why was the hotline installed? 5. to enable US and Soviet leaders to communicate at once should another crisis arise What would the Limited Test Ban Treaty eventually do? 6. ban the explosion of nuclear devices in the atmosphere