day 6

• 1960 Election:

  • John Kennedy (Dem.)
  • Richard Nixon (Rep.).

  participated in the 1st televised debates. Kennedy won
• Kennedy's 2 Advantages: his appearance, most blacks voted for him.
• Kennedy developed the" Flexible Response Policy“. He wanted the US to be able to fight any style of war (conventional/ nuclear)
• Kennedy created the special forces in the military who were called the “Green Berets”
• Kennedy believed in the Domino theory If a nation falls to communism others will too
• • most cubans were unhappy + left for the US (200,000) most settled in Miami, Florida
• the bay of the pigs: when Kennedy first began, he was made aware of a plan that would take Cuban refugees and train them to overtake their country back
• the ClA convinced Kennedy the plan would work so he agreed. the Bay of Pigs invasion began and it was a disaster. news of the invasion had leaked to Castro. His forces were prepared
• Kennedy responded to Cuba by setting up a naval blockade to prevent more missiles from entering. The ships slowed down and eventually retreated.
• Kennedy negotiated a deal with Khrushchev to remove missiles from Cuba but, the US had to remove our missiles from Turkey, and promise to never invade Cuba.
• Berlin wall: separated east, and west Berlin for 28 years and became a symbol of communism. 5K people escaped East Berlin, and 200 people were killed.
• Hot line: a phone line between the white house + the Kremlin

  Enabled the leaders to talk directly
• Kennedy's goal for our space program was to land on the moon before the decade ended