JFK Foreign Policy

Question 1

What foreign policy background did JFK have?

Answer 1

• Wrote a thesis called ‘Why England Slept’, about the buildup of Nazi German power and appeasement of Nazi Germany by the United Kingdom

Question 2

What was the Berlin Crisis?

Answer 2

• Took place in 1961
• Soviet leader Khrushchev demanded the West withdraw from West Berlin.
• JFK refused and increased U.S. military spending.
• The Berlin Wall was constructed (August 1961) to stop East Germans fleeing to the West.

Question 3

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 3

• It took place in 1962
• U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.
• JFK ordered a naval blockade of Cuba.
• The 13-day crisis brought the world close to nuclear war.
• Resolution: USSR removed missiles from Cuba; U.S. secretly removed missiles from Turkey

Question 4

What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion?

Answer 4

• Took place in 1961
• Failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba.
• CIA-backed invasion by Cuban exiles ended in disaster.
• Strengthened Castro’s position and embarrassed JFK.

Question 5

What did JFK do in Vietnam?

Answer 5

• Increased U.S. military presence in Vietnam.
• Sent 16,000 military advisors to support South Vietnam.
• Did not commit combat troops, but laid the groundwork for later escalation under Johnson.