Eisenhower (Foreign Policy) Flashcards
New Look Policy
-Eisenhower wanted fewer conventional forces and more reliance of nuclear weapons -More bang for your buck
-Massive retaliatory power to halt aggression
-Soviets had developed ICBM’s which could travel thousands of miles before hitting the target caused a concern to the Eisenhower administration
Ending the Korean War
Eisenhower wanted the US to exit the stalemate so he presses the Chinese to agree to peace even though significant US figures did not want peace.
Ike didn’t rule out the use of nuclear powers causing the Chinese to agree to the armistice
The US had spent $70 billion and suffered 50,000 casualties on a futile war.
Eisenhower and Vietnam
Truman had given $2 billion to the French to help sustain their war efforts.
-Eisenhower continued Truman’s policy because:
-He didn’t want to be accused of losing Vietnam.
-Told if Vietnam was lost to communism then it would affect the global balance of power -domino theory
However:
-Ike gained popularity by getting troops out of Korea and didn’t want to send them into Asia again.
-Some doubted whether loss of a small country to communism would trigger loss of others
-Congress did not support American military intervention in Diem Bien Phu
Eisenhower opted against intervention , the French were defeated at Diem Bien Phu and decided to leave Vietnam
Geneva conference 1954
Agreed, Vietnam would be temporarily divided into a communist north and non-communist south and there would be a nationwide election and reunification in 1956 -established SEATO to protect south Vietnam
-Ngo Diem took power in fraudulent elections, the US supported his regime turning a blind eye to injustice against the Buddhist population because of his strong anti-communist beliefs.
Quemoy & Matsu Crisis 1954
They were small islands situated nearer to mainland China than Taiwan but Taiwan controlled them.
-Soon after the establishment of SEATO China bombarded them.
-Eisenhower responded that the US had no treaty with Taiwan and he didn’t want to risk war with China and the USSR over two small islands so he didn’t intervene.
-Eisenhower signed a treaty with Taiwan committing the US to their defence
-probably suggested the use of atomic weapons which led China to back down
-In 1958 Eisenhower threatened to respond if the islands were invaded and the Chinese back down again.
East German uprising 1953
Protest started as a reaction of harsher working targets and a drop in living standards.
-Chants of ‘down with communism’ and ‘long live Eisenhower’ with over 40,000 involved. Soviets sent in 20,000 soldiers and 513 Germans were killed
-There were no further challenges
Poznan Riots 1956
100,000 people protested seeking better working and living conditions.
Over 10,000 troops were sent to restore control.
Up to 100 were killed with more sustaining injuries.
Hungary
When Khrushchev took control of the USSR.
News travelled to people in east Europe who thought they were free from stalinist oppression. Riots broke out and Khrushchev refused to make a hole in the iron curtain by the withdrawal of Hungary from the Warsaw pact so he sent troops into Budapest to crush the rebellion. This saw 3000 killed in fighting and 200,000 fled abroad.
- Eisenhower claimed that nothing in the Truman Doctrine said anything about going to war over a state rebelling against communism.
-US failure to come to the aid of Hungary established that the world was going to be divided into 2 spheres for some time
Berlin crisis
Khrushchev was anxious about Berlin particularly with the West’s refusal to recognise East Germany on ground it lacked legitimacy.
-Khrushchev threatened to turn access routes to Berlin over to East Germany which would force the west to recognise east Germany.
-Eisenhower didn’t respond and was criticised by democrats and the press for failure to take the crisis seriously enough.
-Ike made it clear the US would always support west Berlin and denied there was a Berlin Crisis this gave Khrushchev room to retreat and the crisis passed
U-2 Crisis
Ike authorised a U-2 spy plane to fly over the soviet union but it was shot down
-The Ike administration claimed it was part of a meteorological mission but after the soviets revealed the plane and pilot to be intact
-Ike then claimed that Powers who flew the plane was not authorised
-Humiliated Eisenhower then had to finally admit responsibility for the spy plane.
At the Paris summit Khrushchev wanted an apology from Eisenhower before continuing the summit
Sputnik
Soviets launched the first satellite into space and many Americans reacted hysterically believing the Soviets could now send nuclear warheads across the ocean.
- Despite open accusations that he was neglecting national security Eisenhower refused to overreact.
Flopnik -US Vanguard TV 3 satellite launch
First attempt of the USA to launch a satellite into orbit around the earth.
At its launch attempt the booster ignited and began to rise, but after two seconds of lift off it fell back to the launchpad.
-The failure was reported in international media it was a humiliating loss of prestige for the USA.
The USSR exploited the disaster and a Soviet delegate to the UN enquired whether the US was interested in receiving aid for underdeveloped countries.
Guatemala 1954 (covert warfare of CIA)
The Guatemalan coupe d’etat was a covert carried out by the US CIA that deposed the democratically elected president installed the military dictatorship of Castillo.
-The CIA armed, funded and trained a force of 480 men led by Carlos Castillo Armas.
-The possibility of the US invasion intimidated the Guatemalan army which eventually refused to fight 10 days later Castillo Armas became president.
Iran
Mossadegh wanted to nationalise the oil industry
-The CIA assured Eisenhower that Iran might turn communist
-Eisenhower used the CIA to encourage an Iranian coup in 1953 that restored authority of the dictatorial pro American Emperor who gave US companies 40% of Iranian oil.
Middle East
The Middle East was important because of increasing western dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
