JOHN F. KENNEDY

THE NEW FRONTIER

JFKOnly Catholic ever elected President Why an issue?

Youngest man ever elected as Pres. (43)Won with the lowest popular vote majority in history1st Pres. to appoint his brother to a cabinet position Attorney General (35)

Youngest cabinet – “best and brightest” – Harvard educated as JFK wasNOT an intellectual…but Jackie surrounded him with intellectuals

1st Pres. born in the 20th century; least healthySpeed reader - read 10 major city newspapers every morning over coffeePulitzer Prize for “Profiles in Courage” but…HORRIBLE HEALTH – allergies, back, stomach, Addison’s disease, hearing loss, VD, etc.

Commanded a PT torpedo boat in WWIISunk by Japanese destroyerHelped get survivors to island- Medals

ELECTION OF 1960

RICHARD NIXON, RQuaker, humble origins, from CAPolitical Experience in House, Senate & as Ike’s VP for 8 yrs.“Cold Warrior” - communism is chief threat to U.S. way of life

JOHN F. KENNEDY, DCatholic, very wealthy, from MA, youngPolitical Experience in House and SenateAlso a “Cold Warrior” (& friend of McCarthy)VP Running Mate is Lyndon B. Johnson from Texas

THE ROLE OF TV IN ELECTIONS

JFK challenged Nixon to televised debatesFirst televised presidential debates, series of 4 live, after 1960 TV is media of choiceNixon is more skilled debater BUTJFK much more poised, youthful, attractive on cameraNixon had been sick looks awful, he sweats a lot (reason he lost?)70 million people polled, TV viewers thought JFK won debate while radio listeners thought Nixon won

“CAMELOT”

THE NEW FRONTIER

Let’s get this country moving again!

Inaugural Address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country….”“The torch has been passed to a new generation….”First time U.S. is led by people born in 20th century -- youthful, “vigor," confident, idealisticChief Task is to stop the spread of communism

NEW FRONTIER-Domestic Policy Agenda-attack poverty, strengthen the economy, better education, get people involved Enacted tax cuts to put $ in hands of consumers A conservative move?

Trade Expansion Act – tariff cuts – up to 50% - with W. EuropeManpower Development & Training ActMedical Retardation & Health Centers Act

JFK and CongressDon’t work well together

Key legislative goals = Medicare for the elderly, higher minimum wage & assistance for education

Downfalls, Southern Democrats stall a lot of legislation, especially dealing with Civil Rights

JFK responds to that by issuing policy through executive orders

THE SPACE RACESoviet satellite in space first – Sputnik, 1957JFK promotes NASA as part of economic stimulus (founded 1958 -

Ike) U.S.

Mercury I – 1958Goal is to put a man on the moon by 1970First “American” in space – Ham, the chimpanzee, 1961

First American toorbit the earth, 1962 JOHN GLENN

First Americans to the moon:NEIL ARMSTRONG BUZZ ALDRIN MICHAEL COLLINS

Apollo 11 - July 20, 1969“The Eagle Has Landed”

APOLLO 11

JFK & FOREIGN POLICYJFK & FOREIGN POLICYJFK’s foreign policy goal:

To reduce Cold War tensions while helping developing nations.

“Flexible Response Policy,” McNamaraWhat is it?

Peace CorpsSent young Americans to perform humanitarian services to fight poverty & disease in developing third-world countries

Projects included teaching English, community planning, medical assistance, building water and sewage systems.

Signed up for 2 year hitches after through training

Still exist today, LEGACY

Alliance for Progress not as successful

Alliance for Progress

Series of aid projects to Latin America, to make them strong to fight communist temptations

Over a 10 years U.S. pumps over 20 billion into Latin & South Amer.

Money wasn’t always used in best way, in Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, & other central American nations it did really reform

BAY OF PIGS INVASIONBAY OF PIGS INVASION FailureFailure• Castro - Cuba, ‘59 / Soviets• Ike & CIA planned to invade and overthrow

Castro (training 2000 Cuban exiles for invasion)

• CIA thought local Cubans would rise up & assist the invaders

• JFK approves; invades April, ‘61• No help from the locals – no air cover from

JFK-- Castro surrounds & forces surrender of the invaders instead

• Exiles were jailed but eventually “ransomed” for $62 million worth of pharmaceuticals & humanitarian aid in 1963

• Hurts JFK’s international reputation– Seen as impulsive; unprincipled– “Operation Mongoose” begins

Post WWII Occupation of Germany

JFK meets with Khrushchev, June 1961

BERLIN WALLBERLIN WALLFailureFailure

• Soviets (Khrushchev) demand that the U.S. recognize E. Germany & give up the 4-power occupation of Berlin [note: Khrushchev furious over Bay of Pigs]

• JFK refuses and Soviets build wall around West Berlin – August 1961…to stop flow from East to West Berlin

• Wall stands for almost 30 years as the most dramatic symbol of Cold War division in Europe– Both sides begin heavy nuclear development (US –

Minuteman) and testing & increase defense spending

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Karte_berliner_mauer_en.jpg

• “Walljumpers”

• About 5,000 made it

• About 200 did not

• Peter Fechter, August 17, 1962

THE WALL COMES DOWN 1989

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS SuccessSuccess• U.S. U-2 plane discovered long-range Soviet

missiles & launch sites on Cuba– Put there by Khrushchev (along with Soviet troops,

tanks, etc.) to prepare for anticipated U.S. invasion of Cuba

• Dilemma faced by JFK:– Doesn’t want to back down to the Communists– If he invades or bombs, Khrushchev would take West

Berlin or bomb U.S. bases in Turkey– Could lead to full-scale nuclear war

• Addresses the nation on October 22, 1962• Game of “nuclear chicken” ensues – 13 tense days

Presidents John F. Kennedy

and Dwight D. Eisenhower

• JFK orders naval blockade (“quarantine”) to keep out any more missiles & demanded Soviets dismantle missile sites

• Soviets made 2 demands of us:– agree never to invade Cuba– remove our missiles from Turkey

• RFK suggested we ignore 2nd & agree to the first only (later, comes out that U.S. privately agreed to 2nd demand as well)

• Waited 5 days before the Soviet ships turned around

• JFK & Khrushchev set upWhite House-Kremlin ‘hot line” & agree to test ban treaty (1963)

• Khrushchev is finished– Replaced by Breshnev

• New arms race begins

• JFK urges “peaceful co-existence”

NUCLEAR TEST-BAN TREATYNUCLEAR TEST-BAN TREATY

• Both the Soviets and the U.S. had been involved in massive nuclear testing

• After Cuban Missile crisis, both sides agree to reduce risks of war

• ’63 - US, Soviets & British agree to ban nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in outer space & underwater (but not underground).