Kennedy: Foreign Policy

What was the Refugee Crisis (The 'Brain Drain') with the Berlin Crisis (1958-1963)?

Detail: By 1961, 2.7 million East Germans had fled to the West since 1959. Many were skilled workers (doctors, engineers, teachers).

Significance: This threatened the economic viability of the GDR (East Germany) and was a massive propaganda failure for Communism?

What were Khrushchev's demand (The Ultimatum) relating to West Berlin?

Detail: Khrushchev viewed West Berlin as a 'bone in his throat'. He demanded the West withdraw their troops and turn Berlin into a 'free city'.

Espionage: He feared West Berlin as a base for Western intelligence (CIA/MI6) to listen in on Eastern Bloc communications.

What was the Vienna Summit (June 1961)?

- The Meeting: Khrushchev attempted to intimidate the young, new President. Kennedy later admitted Khrushchev 'beat the hell out of me'.

- Outcome: Kennedy refused to withdraw from Berlin and asked Congress for an additional $3.25 billion in defense spending.

What were the even surrounding the Building of the Berlin Wall (August 13, 1961)?

- The Event: 'Operation Rose' began at night. Border guards laid barbed wire; later, a 3.6-meter-high concrete wall was built.

- The 'Death Strip': Included watchtowers, anti-vehicle trenches, and 'no-man's land' where guards had orders to shoot to kill.

What was Checkpoint Charlie Standoff (October 1961)?

- Detail: A dispute over whether US officials could cross the border led to US and Soviet tanks facing off at point-blank range for 16 hours.

- Resolution: Kennedy and Khrushchev agreed to pull back one tanks at a time to avoid accidental war.

What was the significance behind the 'Ich bin ein Berliner' (June 1963)?

- The Speech: Kennedy visited West Berlin to show solidarity. He claimed Berlin was on the 'front line' of the struggle for freedom.

- Impact: Boosted West German morale and cemented Kennedy's image as a champion of democracy.

Was the handling over the Berlin Crisis, an success or failure?

- Success for USSR: It stopped the refugee flow and stabilised the East German economy.

- Success for USA: It showed the world that Communism had to 'wall its people in' to keep them from leaving.

How did Castro rise to power?

- Context: Castro overthrew the US-backed dictator Batista in Jan 1959.

- Tension: When Castro nationalised US sugar and oil interests, Eisenhower imposed a trade embargo and authorised the CIA to train exiles for coups.

What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)?

- The Plan: 1,400 Cuban exiles (Brigade 2506) were to land and trigger a popular uprising.

- Assumptions: The CIA wrongly assumed the Cuban people hated Castro enough to join the rebellion.

Why was the Bay of Pigs a disaster?

- Intelligence: Castro knew the invasion was coming; it was reported in the New York Times.

- Geography: The 'Bay of Pigs' was a swampy area; the exiles were pinned down with no escape to the mountains.

- Air Support: Kennedy cancelled the crucial second wave of US air strikes to maintain 'plausible deniability'.

What was the political fallout from the Bay of Pigs?

- Humiliation: Kennedy was forced to pay $53 million in food and medicine to Castro to get the surviving 1,189 prisoners back.

- The 82% rating: Strangely, Kennedy's domestic approval surged due to his honest acceptance of responsibility, but his international reputation was badly damaged.

How did the Bay of Pigs cause the shift to Communism in Cuba?

- Radicalisation: Before 1961, Castro was a nationalist. After the invasion, he formally declared Cuba a Socialist state and requested Soviet military protection.

Why did Khrushchev deployed Missiles to Cuba?

- Missile Gap: The US had 304 ICBMs; the USSR only had 50. Placing MRBMs (Medium-Range) in Cuba closed this gap instantly.

- Turkey: The US had Jupiter missiles in Turkey, right on the Soviet Border.

What did the U2 spy plane missions reveal about Missiles in Cuba?

- Evidence: Major Rudolf Anderson's spy plane photos showed SS-4 and SS-5 missile pads being built.

- Threat: These missiles could hit Washington D.C. or New York with only minutes of warning.

What was EXCOMM (Executive Committee)?

- An important cells of senior figures and advisors.

- The Hawks: Military leaders (like Curtis LeMay) wanted an immediate air strike and invasion.

- The Doves: Advised caution, diplomacy, or a blockade to avoid 'nuclear Pearl Harbor'.

What was the 'Quarantine' Strategy over Cuba?

- Decision: Kennedy chose a naval blockade. By calling it a 'quarantine', he avoided the legal definition of a 'blockade', which is an act of war.

- Television address: On Oct 22, he informed the public, putting the US on DEFCON 3.

What was the 'Black Saturday' (October 27)?

- Height of Tension: A US U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba; a Soviet submarine nearly launched a nuclear torpedo when it was harassed by US depth charges.

What was the Secret Deal that resolved the Missile Crisis?

- Publicly: USA promised not to invade Cuba; USSR removed missiles.

- Privately: Robert Kennedy told the Soviet Ambassador the US would remove missiles from Turkey within months, provided the deal remained secret.

What was the Long-term Significance of the resolutions to the Missile Crisis?

- The Hotline: A direct teleprinter link between the Kremlin and the White House to prevent future miscommunications.

- The Thaw: Led to the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty (banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater, or in space).

What was the Domino Theory in regards to the Escalation in Vietnam?

- Definition: The belief that if South Vietnam fell to Communism, neighbouring countries (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand) would follow like a row of dominoes.

What were the Strategic Hamlets (1962) in Vietnam?

- The Plan: Moving South Vietnamese peasants into fortified villages to isolate them from Viet Cong (VC) influence.

- Failure: It actually alienated the peasants, who resented being moved away from their ancrestral lands.

What were the Military Advisers (Green Berets) in Vietnam?

- Expansion: Kennedy increased 'advisers' from 700 to nearly 17,000.

- Role: Though officially 'advisers', many engaged in combat missions and flew helicopters.

What was the Problem with Ngo Dinh Diem, Leader of South Vietnam?

- Profile: A Catholic leader in a majority Buddhist country. He was corrupt, nepotistic, and ignored US advice to implement land reform.

What was the Battle of Ap Bac (Jan 1963)?

- Result: 2,000 ARVN (South Vietnamese) troops with US air support were defeated by 350 VC guerrillas.

- Significance: It proved the ARVN was poorly led and unable to win the war on it's own.

What was the Buddhist Crisis (May-Nov 1963)?

- Cause: Diem banned the flying of the Buddhist flags.

- Thich Quang Duc: The monk who self-immolated in Saigon. The photo shocked the world and turned JFK against Diem.

What happened with the assassination of Diem (May-Nov 1963)?

- The Coup: With US 'tacit approval', South Vietnamese generals killed Diem.

- Outcome: Led to total political instability in South Vietnam forcing the US to intervene even further.

What was Kennedy's Dilemma about Vietnam?

- The Trap: Kennedy felt he couldn't withdraw because he would be accused of 'losing' Vietnam (like Turman 'lost' China), but he didn't want a full-scale war.

What was the involvement of the 'New Frontier' in Foreign Policy?

- The Goal: Kennedy wanted to move away from Eisenhower's 'Massive Retaliation' (nuclear focus) towards 'Flexible Response'.

What was the Flexible Response?

- Detail: Developing conventional military strength and elite special forces (Navy SEALs/Green Berets) to fight 'brushfire wars' and guerrilla insurgencies.

What was the Peace Corps (1961)?

- Soft Power: Sending young American volunteers to developing nations to help with education and health.

- Goal: To counter Communist influence by showing the 'friendly face' of American capitalism.

What was the Alliance for Progress?

- Region: Latin America.

- Detail: A 'Marshall Pal for Latin America' promising $20 billion in aid to prevent the spread of Cuban-style revolutions. Mostly considered a failure due to local corruption.