The Foreign Policy Crisis Continues…John F. Kennedy

• Fiasco at the Bay of Pigs

• Berlin Wall

• Cuban Missile Crisis

Crisis in Cuba

Bay of Pigsand the Cuban Missile Crisis

Bay of Pigs • Fidel Castro

- Leads communist revolt in Cuba and Cuba falls to communism

- Supported by the Soviet Union

• U.S. Invasion

- Using CIA instructors, the US secretly began training anti-Castro Cubans to invade Cuba

- April 17, 1961:Anti-Castro Cuban forces land near Bay of Pigs

Effects of the ‘Fiasco’ at the Bay of Pigs

• Castro anticipated attack and killed several exiles and held others captive

• The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion was a tremendous embarrassment for JFK and the United States

• Kennedy takes responsibility, vowing never to appear ‘weak’ on Communism again

Candy Question

Why would a communist takeover in Cuba be such a huge threat to America?

(Hint: think geography)

Berlin Wall

• Wall that Khrushchev built to prevent Eastern Berliners from fleeing to Western Berlin

• Stood as a grim symbol of the Communist East and the non-Communist West until it fell in 1989 (signals end of C.W.)

The wall was a

mass of concrete,

barbed wire,

and stone

FYIOn June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech that electrified an adoring crowd gathered in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. As he paid tribute to the spirit of Berliners and to their quest for freedom, the crowd roared with approval upon hearing the President's dramatic pronouncement, "Ich bin ein Berliner"

(I am a Berliner).

THE WORLD ON THE BRINK:JOHN F. KENNEDY AND

THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS!

EXCOMM meeting on CMC.

29 October 1962.

Cuban Missile Crisis Evaluation• It is Oct 14th, 1962 and U.S. spy planes have just located

nuclear missile silos in Cuba. It is known that the Soviet Union is behind the placement of these missiles. With nuclear missiles on Cuba, America is not safe. President Kennedy must decide how to deal with this situation. It is important that America appear strong, especially after the embarrassment at the Bay of Pigs

• President Kennedy has assembled a group of the finest military and political advisors in America. This group is secretly referred to as EXCOMM. These men will be responsible for presenting solutions to the President, but it ultimately Kennedy’s decision how to handle Cuba.

• You are a member of EXCOMM and as such you must evaluate each suggested plan and decide what action to recommend to the President.

A Shopping List of Strategies…• Take no action

• Pursue diplomacy—Negotiate with Cuba and the Soviets to remove the missiles

• Blockade—Institute a naval quarantine around the island, preventing the arrival of Soviet ships carrying materials necessary to make the missiles operational (combination of military and diplomatic responses)

• Airstrike and Invade—launch an air strike followed by an invasion to destroy the missile sites (Pearl Harbor? Bay of pigs? anyone?!)

Cuban Missile Crisis

• While applying diplomatic pressure, JFK decides to establish a naval quarantine of Cuba.

– This was a “ring of ships” around Cuba … but JFK did not call it a BLOCKADE!

• “Brinkmanship” go to the brink of war

– “Put the ball in Khrushchev's Court”

– Failed cooperation by the U.S.S.R. would guarantee escalation

Meanwhile…

• Both US and Russian officials were DESPERATE to find a way to prevent nuclear war

Back off!!!

No, you back

off!!!

Uh,

guys.

Diplomacy Prevails!

• Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles in return for an American pledge not to invade Cuba.

• President Kennedy agreed and the crisis ended.

For thirteen days in October of 1962 the world waited, hoping for a

peaceful resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

During this time, we came closer to nuclear war than we have ever come

before…or since…

Legacy of the CMC

Big Picture • Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba on the promise of

democracy but declared himself Communist after he took control of the government; many Cuban exiles and Americans blamed Kennedy for “losing” Cuba.

• The failed Bay of Pigs invasion embarrassed the U.S. and enhanced Castro’s stature in Cuba.

• The Berlin Wall stemmed the flow of East German refugees but aggravated Cold War tensions.

• The United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Kennedy and his administration’s decision to blockade the island while secretly negotiating with the Soviets helped to prevent war from occurring.

Headliner Activity

• Assume you are a newspaper reporter. Provide a front-page story for one of the three headlines listed below.

• Be sure to write in historical present as you establish the event’s significance and immediate impact.

FYI - Countries With Nuclear Weapons (2008)

USA Russia United Kingdom France

China India Pakistan Israel (?)