John F. Kennedy 1961-1963

1. John F. Kennedy 1961-1963

2. 1960 Campaign and Election Or Kennedy-Nixon Debates

3. Significances of the 1960 Nixon Kennedy Campaign • Television debate : Appearance versus substance • Television ads: campaign spending $ • Main Issues: • “missile gap” • religion • Close election results • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRpxKHlRQUc

4. The Election of 1960 The election of 1960 was the closest since 1884; Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon by fewer than 119,000 votes.

5. Did You Know? • • He was a decorated naval officer in World War II.• He received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Profiles in Courage."• He served exactly 1,000 days in office.• He was the first president born in the 20th century and the youngest president ever elected. • He is the only Roman • Catholic president • He could read 1600 words a minute.

6. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address Kennedy was the youngest person ever to be elected president. His youth helped provide the theme to his inaugural address: “Let the word go forth… That the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans… The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it…And so, my fellow Americans-ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.”

7. The Camelot Years With JFK’s youthful glamour and his talented advisors, the Kennedy White House reminded many of a modern- day Camelot, the mythical court of King Arthur.

8. Crisis Over Cuba The first test of Kennedy’s foreign policy came in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, openly declared himself a communist and welcomed aid from the Soviet Union.

9. The Bay of Pigs On the nights of April 17,1961, some 1500 Cuban exiles supported by the U.S. military landed on the island’s southern coast at Baja de Cochinos, the Bay of Pigs. The CIA and the exiles hoped it would trigger a mass uprising that would overthrow Castro. It didn’t! Cuban forces, backed by Soviet tanks and jet aircraft, easily repelled the exile invasion. Some of the exiles were killed, others imprisoned.

10. Cuban Missile Crisis

11. Cuban Missile Crisis In October, 1962, photographs taken by American planes revealed Soviet missile bases in Cuba-and some contained missiles ready to launch. They could reach U.S. cities in minutes.

12. What to do? • Do nothing. • Use diplomatic pressure to get the Soviet Union to remove the missiles. • An air attack on the missiles. • A full military invasion. • The naval blockade of Cuba, which was redefined as a more restrictive quarantine.[12]

13. The Crisis • Soviets armed Cuba with nuclear missiles

14. On October 22, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent further deliveries of Soviet weapons. He also demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles. Khrushchev promised to challenge the blockade, calling it “outright banditry.”

16. Dear Mr. President, .... Imagine, Mr. President, what if we were to present to you such an ultimatum as you have presented to us by your actions. How would you react to it? I think you would be outraged at such a move on our part. And this we would understand. Having presented these conditions to us, Mr. President, you have thrown down the gauntlet. Who asked you to do this? By what right have you done this? Our ties with the Republic of Cuba, as well as our relations with other nations, regardless of their political system, concern only the two countries between which these relations exist. And, if it were a matter of quarantine as mentioned in your letter, then, as is customary in international practice, it can be established only by states agreeing between themselves, and not by some third party. Quarantines exist, for example, on agricultural goods and products. However, in this case we are not talking about quarantines, but rather about much more serious matters, and you yourself understand this.

17. For a few days, nuclear war and massive destruction was a distinct possibility for every American. In schools, children practiced air raid drills, a common occurrence during the Cold War. People who had built bomb shelters began stocking them with food and other provisions. Even the president called his family to the White House where they could be protected in the presidential nuclear shelter.

19. Suddenly, on October 24, many of the Soviet ships stopped short of the blockade line, turned, and sailed home. “We’re eyeball to eyeball,” said Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “and I think the other fellow just blinked.” On October 28 Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile bases in response to Kennedy’s promise not to invade Cuba.

20. Soviet ship Poltava on its way to Cuba (CIA photo) • Soviet ships turned back at the last minute

21. The Compromise Members of ExComm and JFK planning a compromise • Soviet missiles removed from Cuba • U.S. promises not to invade Cuba • U.S. removed missiles from Italy and Turkey

23. The Compromise Members of ExComm and JFK planning a compromise • Soviet missiles removed from Cuba • U.S. promises not to invade Cuba • U.S. removed missiles from Italy and Turkey

24. JFK signs Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963 • “Hotline” b/t the S.U. and U.S. leaders • Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: no • testing of nuclear weapons aboveground • JFK foreign policy success

25. The New Frontier President Kennedy’s legislative program to provide medical care for the elderly…. To rebuild blighted urban areas….

26. To aid education…. To bolster the national defense….

27. To increase international aid…. To expand the space program.

28. To provide volunteer assistance to developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. And to promote civil rights.

29. Insert notebook noteshere

30. Tragedy in Dallas In the fall of 1963, public opinion polls showed that Kennedy was losing popularity because of his advocacy of civil rights. On November 22, 1963, President and Mrs. Kennedy went to Texas to mend political fences with members of the state’s Democratic Party.

31. Crowds lined the streets of Dallas to greet the President. In front of them sat Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie.

32. As the car approached a state building known as the Texas State Book Depository, rifle shots rang out.

33. Kennedy was shot in the head. His car raced to a nearby hospital, where doctors frantically tried to revive him, but it was too late. President Kennedy was dead.

34. On Sunday, Nov. 24, as millions watched live television coverage of Oswald being transferred between jails, a nightclub owner named Jack Ruby broke through the crowd and shot and killed Oswald.

35. Because there is not trial mystery and conspiracy theories abound. In 1963, the Warren Commission investigated and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had shot the president while acting on his own.