US History 2: JFK- Random
What did Americans believe were the intentions of the Soviet Union?
The Americans were unsure of the Soviets intentions and did not know the answers to whether the nuclear missiles would be used to threaten Cuba's Latin American neighbors or intimidate the United States or the communist leaders believe that United States would not oppose their plan. Ultimately, the White House was shocked that the Soviets had ignored the US warnings against putting missiles in Cuba.
What do Cuba, the Soviets, and the United States each refer to this event as?
The Cubans referred to the event as "the October crisis", the Soviets referred to this event as "the Caribbean crisis" and to the Americans as "the Cuban missile crisis".
Why was the Kennedy administration concerned about the missiles?
The Kennedy administration was concerned about the missiles because it pose a grave threat to US security and American territory would be vulnerable to the Soviet nuclear attack.
How did the United States and the Soviet Union move forward with one another after the crisis and why is this significant?
The United States and the Soviet Union moved forward with one another after the crisis was the fear of nuclear war hung over both the US and Soviet Unions. As well, in order to avoid a nuclear exchange, Khrushchev turned his back on the Cuban ally and came to terms with the Cold War rival. This was shown as significant as the Soviet leader risked both his ties with Cuba and his country's reputation as a global superpower. After the crisis, the former rivals established a hotline to ease communication between leaders in times of crisis and this hotline was able to reduce the risk of misunderstanding resulting in deadly conflict.
What is the basis for President Kennedy's demand that the missiles be removed from Cuba?
The basis for President Kennedy's demand that the missiles be removed from Cuba was basically out of fear. The United States announced that it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the Soviets would dismantle the missile bases that were under construction.
What impact did the arms race have on the world?
The impact that the arms race has on the world is that both superpowers developed technology and used their nuclear power to build as many weapons as possible. With the increased nuclear buildup, people became increasingly fearful of the weapons being used in a potential nuclear war.
Who or what are "the imperialists" that Castro refers to in his letter?
The imperialists that Castro refers to in his letter is the United States
What does this newfound evidence suggest about the potential use of the missiles at the time? Why is this concerning?
The newfound evidence suggests the missile crisis impressed Kennedy and Khrushchev with the dangers of making nuclear threats and coming so close to nuclear war and they both recognized that they needed to embark on a new path to prevent nuclear confrontation in the future. Although the ideological conflict will continue, Khrushchev and Kennedy worked to end the tensions between the two nations. The newfound evidence shows that both Kennedy and Khrushchev worried that events could spiral out of control into a nuclear war and the evidence suggests that their fears were justified.
What role did Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev, and John F. Kennedy play in this crisis?
The role that Fidel Castro played in the crisis was that he was convinced that the United States was going to attack Cuba so he wrote a letter to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Castro also made appeals to Moscow in 1960, which led United States officials to repeatedly warn the Soviets against attempting to put missiles in Cuba. The role of Nikita Khrushchev in the crisis was that the Soviets assured the US that they had no intention of giving the Cubans nuclear missiles and pledged that Cuba would receive nonnuclear weapons to defend the island from attack. The role that John F. Kennedy played in the crisis was that when the US leaders discovered that the Soviets were installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, they were stunned and was unsure of Castro or Khrushchev's intentions. The Kennedy Administration believed that the nuclear missiles were a threat to US security and set up a team of advisors to manage the crisis to remove the Soviet missiles from Cuba.
Does Kennedy have a strong cabinet?
Yes (guys such as RFK)
What two things does Castro believe the United States might do within twenty- four to seventy-two hours?
air attack, full on invasion
During JFK's presidency, what was being build up?
airforce
Why are Cuban-Americans furious with Kennedy and the entire administration?
blame him for losing Cuba and he is the reason why Castro is staying in power, so they support Republican candidates
Why is talking about civil rights so "stigmatized"
cause problems for political campaign, (Kennedy is a famous political family and conservative)
What did RFK push JFK towards
civil rights, no major civil rights legislation (hot topic), does not come up until closer to his assassination
What is the Bay of Pigs invasion very close to starting?
closest to nuclear war
Why is the Soviet Union pushing for the missiles
cuba is close to USA, strategic opportunity, already missiles in Turkey, brinkmanship policy
Why is Kennedy suffering in office?
does not have same political resume as Nixon, pros do not match up with the other issues at the time
Why did the air force have to be built up?
drop nuclear bombs
Explain Kennedy's experience when taking office.
end of 1950s, Eisenhower finishing term, economy is going down, not do too much domestically- more focused on international things then focuses on civil rights, not able to get much support from government
Kennedy is 41 years and wants to bring a new _____ to the country.
face
built up all parts of the military, not just the nuclear weapons, Involved in something, last weapon to want to ue is nuclear weapons, need other options, huge increase in defense spending, airforce
flexible responsible
What does Nikita Krushchev have to prove? What does JFK have to prove?
just as component as Stalin, pass age barrier
Was JFK into civil rights?
no, does not push for civil rights legislation because dangerous, people may not vote for him, holds off on domestic issues when coming into presidency (1963: kennedy starts with civil rights changes LBJ- sworn in immediately after kennedy is assassination )
Name some fun facts about JFK
not the most faithful of most Presidents (girlfriends) prominent affairs--- Marilyn Monroe (causes a scandal)
How did Kennedy's inauguration speech inspire people?
optimism, youthfulness, ability to handle the media
What is an extreme issue in the urban areas?
poverty (minorities denied in suburbs because of redlining)
What happened when Kennedy entered office?
problems with Cuba happened rapidly, Eisenhower's administration lax, lack of responsibility (for communism entering countries such as Cuba, North Korea, in the middle eastern countries)
What did African Americans do?
set up sit ins trying to fight desegregation
What is the purpose of the Bay of Pigs invasion?
stop communism, USA wants to instigate an invasion, planned in Eisenhower's administration, CIA training Cuban exiles to be a fighting force, Cuban exiles to fight Castro with the help of the USA bc communism is back
Why is Kennedy able to win the election?
television (first election that has televised debates)
When did Kennedy find out about the Bay of Pigs invasion plan?
9 days into presidency, not aware of all the information, okays the plan, CIA planned (did their research), everything went wrong
What disease did JFK have?
Addison's
What is Kennedy the symbol of?
Americans can turn the country around--- optimism at the start of the 1960s "Ask...." symbolize what Americans are looking for and the type of challenges
What does the letter tell you about Castro's beliefs and personality?
Beliefs: The United States is going to invade or take out Cuba and that the "imperialists" aggressiveness makes them extremely dangerous. Personality: Castro is very persuasive, violent and wants things to go his way
What is Castro asking Khrushchev too do when he writes "... if they manage to carry out an invasion of Cuba- a brutal act in violation of universal and moral law- then that would be the moment to eliminate this danger forever, in an act of the most legitimate self-defense. However harsh and terrible the solution, there would be no other?
Castro is asking him to help him by setting off a missile or dropping an atomic bomb on the United States.
exploration, try new things, help out other countries
Frontier
Name a special operation.
Green Berets
What was ExComm and why were they significant?
In order to keep their knowledge of the missiles secret from the Soviets and the American public, Kennedy organized trusted advisors to help him manage the crisis and the group was known as Executive Committee of the National Council or ExComm. ExComm was significant as they considered the options for removing the Soviet missiles from Cuba and the discussion produced distinct choices for US actions (ranging from diplomatic to military assault). At the end, President Kennedy decided on a blockade of Cuba by the US Navy to prevent further shipment of the military supplies to the island.
Who is the first catholic and youngest president that the US had and why is the US concerned?
JFK, Americans are concerned because supposed to be pledging allegiance to pope
Why did Khrushchev believe the missiles could now be removed?
Khrushchev believed that the missiles could now be removed because they have been given the order to discontinue building the installations by dismantling them and withdraw them to the Soviet Union
What is Krushchev's view of U.S. actions? According to Khrushchev what will happen.
Khrushchev said that the United States was setting up military bloc so that it could gain a dominant position in the capitalist world. He continued to say that the United States was not fearful of communism and the arms race was supposed to result in a balance of power. According to Khrushchev, it could lead to war and that capitalism will end in another world war if it follows that path.
How does Khrushchev explain why missiles were placed in Cuba?
Khrushchev wanted to put nuclear weapons in Cuba because the United States had placed weapons in West Germany, Greece, Turkey, Japan, and a few pacific islands. Kruschev wanted to equalize the strategic/defensive advantage.
Who took office after Kennedy died?
Lyndon Johnson
Did Nixon and Eisenhower have a stance on civil rights?
No. (Nixon- Eisenhower's VP)
