John F. Kennedy

by Rabe, Stephen G.

• ISBN13: 9781597971485
• ISBN10: 1597971480
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-03
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

President John F. Kennedy remains a subject of fascination for both historians and the general public. Consistently ranked among the most popular American presidents, Kennedy led the USA during a time ofrapid social change at home, punctuated by critical foreign policy crises, among them the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, the erection of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban missile crisis and the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam. This book is an introduction to American foreign policy at the height of the Cold War, when Kennedy perceived himself to be a foreign policy President. Time and again he used the threat of force, good diplomacy and sound judgement to keep the world from falling into the abyss of nuclear war. He also launched major economic development programmes for Latin America, India and Egypt and despatched Peace Corps volunteers around the world.

Table of Contents

List of Photographs	p. ix
Series Editor's Note	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Chronology	p. xv
John F. Kennedy in History	p. 1
Background, Beliefs, People	p. 13
Soviet Union	p. 27
Cuba	p. 51
Latin America	p. 75
Vietnam	p. 99
Asia	p. 125
Middle East and Africa	p. 153
John F. Kennedy: The Future Versus the Past	p. 179
Appendix of Documents
John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961	p. 191
President Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev Debate the Fate of Berlin at the Vienna Summit, June 4, 1961	p. 194
President Kennedy Urges Citizens to Prepare for Nuclear War, July 25, 1961	p. 197
President Kennedy Exerts Command over U.S. Nuclear Forces, October 20, 1961	p. 198
President-elect Kennedy Receives Advice from President Eisenhower on Cuba, January 19, 1961	p. 199
Attorney General Robert Kennedy Is Briefed on CIA Contacts with Organized Crime in Plots against Fidel Castro, May 14, 1962	p. 200
President Kennedy Explains His Decision Not to Launch an Air Strike against Cuba, October 22, 1962	p. 202
Higher Authority (President Kennedy) Approves a Sabotage Program against Cuba, June 19, 1963	p. 203
President Kennedy Debates the Issue of Communist Influence in Latin America with the President of Mexico, June 29, 1962	p. 205
President Kennedy Expresses Reservations about Expanding the U.S. Role in South Vietnam, November 15, 1961	p. 206
The Kennedy Administration Initiates the Process of Overthrowing President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam, August 24, 1963	p. 207
President Kennedy Offers Conflicting Views on the U.S. Role in South Vietnam, September 2 and 9, 1963	p. 209
President Kennedy Promises to Protect Taiwan's Seat on the Security Council at the United Nations, October 16, 1961	p. 210
President Kennedy Seeks Soviet Cooperation to Prevent China from Developing Nuclear Weapons, July 15, 1963	p. 211
President Kennedy's Commencement Address at American University, June 10, 1963	p. 213
President Kennedy Ties Civil Rights Legislation to International Affairs, June 11, 1963	p. 215
President Kennedy's Undelivered Remarks at the Trade Mart in Dallas, November 22, 1963	p. 215
Notes	p. 219
Recommended Readings	p. 237
Index	p. 241
About the Author	p. 249
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