Kennedy foreign policy

Berlin Wall

1961

After the Vienna summit of 1961 kruschev thought Kennedy was weak.

By July of that year 2million had fled to the west, seen as a propaganda disaster

Set up wall blockading entrance to the west of Berlin vire east in August 1961.

Kennedy doesn’t interfere

Bay of pigs invasion

April 1961, 1400 Cuban exiles invade in an attempt to overthrow fidel Castro

Complete failure, made Kennedy look bad due to American involvement.

Cuban missile crisis

15th October 1962 - U2 spy planes find evidence of nukes on Cuba, thought to be operational in 7 days

• Kennedy sets up EX-COMM to find a solution

• USA sets up blockade around Cuba (16th)

• USA reach defcon 2 (1 is nuclear war)

• Conflict is resolved when USA agrees to withdraw nukes from turkey and USSR does the same from Cuba

Consequences of Cuban missile crisis

• Nuclear hotline set up between Washington and Moscow

• Efforts made to slow arms race (the partial nuclear test ban treaty, 1963)

Vietnam

Escalates the conflict - 1000 to 16,000 advisors

Diem phu is extremely unpopular

• catholic (Buddhist protests), media coverage of thich quang duc setting himself on fire

• Strategic hamlets

• ARVUN failures, Vietcong number 100,000 by 1964

All this lead to diems assassination in November 1963, commitment trap