Cold War The Kennedy Years

1. Cold War The Kennedy Years

2. JFK Background & Inaugaration • 43 – youngest ever elected • Irish –Catholic – big, significant family • Wealthy background but committed to service • “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” • Best and the Brightest – Cabinet: Bobby/Attny General, Dean Rusk/Sect. of St, Robert McNamara/Sect of Defense • Camelot Culture

3. Taking Control "The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a war. We do not now expect a war," but cautioning that, "We shall be prepared if others wish it. We shall be alert to try to stop it. But we shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just.” • Warned by Eisenhower about “military industrial complex” forming • Needing to show Dems not “soft” on communism • Strengthens ties w/Euro – Trade Expansion Act (tariff cuts for members of EEC) increases trade

4. Communism in the Third World • Feeling Soviets winning in race for third world • “Modernization theory” – move 3rd world nations along the industrial & democratic path • Keep SU from interfering in insurgencies & linking nationalism w/communism • JFK’s counterinsurgencies: in theory about social reform but really military • Alliance for Progress – “Marshall Plan for LA” • AID • Peace Corps

5. Philosophies Through Administrations • Containment Truman (Marshall) • Brinkmanship Eisenhower (Dulles) • Flexible Response Kennedy (Rusk)

6. Flexible Response • Develop/expand array of milit options that would fit each situation • Increased spending on conventional military forces • Special Forces – specially trained • Made engagement more likely

7. Cuba • “Revolutionaries are not born, they are made by poverty, inequality, & dictatorship.” • Nationalized oil refineries & sugar fields – US put up trade barriers • Stands up to US so popular • Receiving support from SU

8. Bay of Pigs • Eisenhower gave CIA permission to train exiles for Cuban invasion • Kennedy had doubts but went ahead • April 17, 1961 – 1,400 exiles land • Plan went terribly wrong – exiles killed or captured • Huge p.r. triumph for Castro • Embarrassment for Kennedy • $53 mill in food & med. supplies to get survivors back

9. Berlin Crisis • By 1961 20% of E.German pop fled into W.Berlin • Keeping W.Berlin continued to be symbol of Western superiority & power • Midnight Aug.13, 1961 E.German troops begin building wall • Wall aggravated Cold War tensions & came to symbolized “ugliness” of Communist oppression

10. Cuban Missile Crisis • Khrushchev sending Sov. weapons – including nuclear • U-2 planes get pics of Sov. built missile bases in Cuba • able to reach US in minutes (NYC in 17 minutes) • Navy quarantine to stop shipments 500 miles off coast & invasionary forces in Florida • JFK demands immed removal, any attack means retal on SU • Khrushchev offered removal of missiles if no Cuban invasion • Sovs feel Khrushchev looked weak • JFK criticized for being too rash & also too weak

11. Need to Ease Tensions • Some US missiles taken out of Turkey • Limited Test Ban Treaty- no more nuclear testing in atmosphere • JFK @ American Univ – June’63 – Soviets are not so bad – need to try for realistic policy of peaceful coexistance • Hot Line – direct connection between White House & Kremlin • Immediate & direct communication in crisis

12. Vietnam • Reuniting elections planned in Geneva Accords not held • National Liberation Front (NLF) or VietCong forms in South & tied to N. Viet gov’t • 1961 – increase the number of advisors • Buddhist monks protest Diem’s repressive measures toward them • 1963 – US supports coup of Diem’s gov’t • By Nov ‘63 more than 15,000 Amers in country (*Special Forces)

13. Space Program "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth." • Even with SU race many felt foolish goal – plenty of “earthly” pursuits more significant • Moonlanding July 20,1969 Neil Armstrong in Apollo 11

14. New Frontier • ambitious initiative to end racial discrimination, deliver federal aid to farmers & education, medical care for the elderly, and fiscal action to halt the recession left by Eisenhower • Cut taxes in effort to stimulate the econ • “Most Republican speech since McKinley” • Inflation reduced from 7 to 5.7 percent; economic growth averaged 5.6 percent during the Kennedy administration • New Frontier largely blocked by a powerful coalition of Republicans and Southern Democrats in Congress

15. Civil Rights • Had appealed to black community during campaign (JFK called Coretta & RFK tried to free MLK) • Once elected, slow to fulfill promises of ending discrimination in housing (1962) • May have been influenced by Southern Dems – afraid to lose them on broader social legislation that could have bigger influence & greater help) • Freedom Riders – CORE • Bus torched in Alabama • Riots/beatings • Southern officials ineffective so fed marshals made escorts

16. Voter Education Project -registration of black voters • Integration of “Ole Miss” – James Meredith – 400 fed marshals & 3,000 troops

17. Birmingham – most segregated big city in Amer • Peaceful protests met violent opposition – seen on tv • JFK’s tv speech on • civil rights – called it • a moral issue & called for new legislation

18. March on Washington • Aug ‘63 – “I have a dream speech” • Putting pressure on movement for new legislation • 200,000 black & white supporters

19. Set Backs • 5 die-hard segregationists appointed to southern benches • JFK & RFK allowed FBI surveillance, wiretapping, harassing MLK • Medgar Evers • Birmingham Baptist Church bombing – 4 girls

20. Assassination • Nov 22 ‘63 – Dallas, TX • LBJ sworn in on plane back to DC • Legacy more about idealism than concrete accomplishments

21. The Lyndon Johnson Years

22. Lyndon Baines Johnson • Texan & dedicated New Dealer • Liberal stance cost him Senate ‘41 so tempered philosophy to be more conserv – narrow win ‘47 • Majority leader ‘54 & very powerful • Once in White House goes back to liberal ideals • best eulogy to JFK would be passage of Civil Rights Bill

23. Civil Rights Act of 1964 • Banned discrimination in public accommodations/facilities • Strengthened fed power to deseg. schools & public places • Title VII no discrimination in hiring – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) • Repubs added gender discrim * will be significant later

24. Great Society • Continuation & extension of New Frontier • Economic & welfare measures • “War on Poverty • The Other America helped fuel public support

25. Election of 1964 • Sen. Barry Goldwater (AZ) attacked Soc. Sec., test ban treaty, TVA, civil rights & Grt Soc • Dems. Criticize Goldwater as trigger happy cowboy looking for a fight • Passage of Tonkin Gulf Resolution shows LBJ as statesman compared to aggressive Goldwater • Little girl w/flowers/armagedden ad • http://youtu.be/dDTBnsqxZ3k • Huge Dem. win in both houses too – 37 new northern dems

26. Doubled $ to Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) into the billions • Created cabinet positions Dept. of Transport.and Dept. of Housing &Urban Devel.(HUD) Robert Weaver(1st black cab.sect) • Nat’l Endowment for Arts & Humanities • Established public broadcasting • Federal safety regulations for cars & highways • Medicare & Medicaid • Model Cities Act • Elementary & Secondary Education Act of 1965 • Voting Rights Act of 1965 • Immigration Act of 1965 • “Affirmative Action” for fed. funded grps/proj

27. War on Poverty • “Waged” by EEOC • Job Corps • VISTA • Headstart

28. Great Society Legacy • Rivaled only to Wilson & FDR in terms of lasting social impact of program • Huge expenditures by fed. gov’t ultimately brought programs in competition w/rising foreign policy costs • Seen as failure by many b/c did not redistribute wealth in society & many problems left unsolved • But did: get med. care to millions who would still go w/out, greatest reduction in poverty in history, many programs still functioning today

29. Foreign Policy – Latin America • Late March/April 1964 supported coup in Brazil – President Goulart pushing plans for socializing major industries replaced by military gov’t “friendly” to US • Spring 1965 – destabilizing military gov’t vulnerable to leftist overthrow • Fear of a pro-Castro regime entrenching

30. Vietnam We are not about to send American boys 10,000 miles away to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves – LBJ, 1964 * Aug. ‘64 Maddox fired upon

31. Operation Rolling Thunder- Feb ‘65-Oct ‘68 – combat troops arrive and “direction” of war changes • War of attrition • Americanized • Increase in NVA numbers & attacks in South • Kill ten of our men and we will kill one of yours. In the end, it is you who will tire- Ho Chi Minh, 1946

32. General William Westmoreland • American commander in South Vietnam – believed Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) couldn’t do it alone. • Continues to request more & more troops. • Remains positive about winning the war • “Body count” strategy – failed to intimidate or deter • Hanoi hardens • Sect. of Defense Robert McNamara

34. Napalm • Agent Orange • Search & destroy missions • America’s first “television war”

35. Trouble At Home • Hawks & Doves • Fulbright Hearings (Sen.Wm from Arkansas) • Televised in ‘66 & ’67 • Became clear public had been deceived about “winnability” & “credibility gap” widened • Anti-war demonstrations become common & more widespread Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Johnson administration is handling the situation in Vietnam ?

36. Tet Offensive • Westmoreland had still been predicting “a light at the end of the tunnel” • N. Vietnamese Army + Viet Cong attack South simultaneously (67,000 attack 100 cities, bases, and the US embassy in Saigon) • Take every major southern city • U.S. + ARVN beat back the offensive • Viet Cong destroyed according to Westmoreland • N. Vietnamese army debilitated • BUT…it’s seen as an American defeat by the media

37. Buildup to the Election • Segment of Dems looking for RFK to run for nomination – he rejects it • Sen. Eugene McCarthy (Minn.) – strong showing in New Hampshire primary (almost beat LBJ) • b/c challenge now clear, RFK enters race • LBJ announces bombing freeze and dropping out of race! • “That..war killed the lady I really loved – the Great Society” • VP Hubert Humphrey now enters

38. MLK killed April 4 • Rioting in over 100 cities • RFK killed June 5 • Had just won California primary • College campus protests increase • Jan-June, 40,000 students on 100 campuses involved in 200 major demonstrations • “There was a sense everywhere…that things were giving way. That people had not only lost control of their history, but might never regain it.”

39. Democratic Convention • Since LBJ stepped down & RFK was killed primary between McCarthy& Hubert Humphrey • Humphrey loyal Dem. Party man & supported by LBJ • Nomination locked up even before Chicago convention • Huge prostest @ convention (10,000 – Hayden) • Wanted Dems to support anti war platform • Yippies (Youth International Party) looking for attention • Mayor Richard Daley determined to keep control – 12,000 officers & 5,000 Nat’l Guardsmen • Violence breaks out –mace, nightsticks, rocks, bottles • “The world is watching!”

40. Conservative Response • Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew • “peace with honor” • Hawk with a desire to end it • Appealed to white southerners • “law & order” • No more dissidents – value the silent majority • George Wallace/Curtis LeMay • “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!” • N. Vietnamese “bombing them back to the stone age”

42. Feminism – “belief that women should have economic, political & social equality with men • 1960’s increasing numbers of women in work force but facing pay & job discrimination • 1961-Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (JFK) • Less pay for same job • Less management jobs

43. Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique- • Frustration many women felt in being “just” wives & mothers • Made the movement about “every”woman • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (result of Civil Rights Act of 1964) not meeting needs • National Organization for Women –NOW- forms • child care facilities • educational opportunities • job opportunities

44. A Diverse Movement • NY Radical Women stage protest in AC @ Miss American Pageant • Freedom Trash Can- threw bras, girdles, wigs • crowned a sheep “Miss America” • Gloria Steinem • founder of Ms. magazine • highly influential woman • Roe v Wade – 1973 Supreme Court Case • women have the right to choose (still highly controversial • Based on “right to privacy” in Griswald v Connecticut

45. The ERA – Equal Rights Amendment • 1972 Congress passed the ERA – would need 38 (3/4)of the 50 states to ratify to become part of Constitution • matter of “simple justice” • Phyllis Schlafly • major opponent to ERA – would lead to “parade of horribles” (drafting women, ending laws protecting homemakers, same-sex marriages) • work of radical feminists who “hate men, marriage & children” • By 1977 had 35 states but movement stalled & opposition gained strength (NJ did ratify!) • By 1982 – deadline for ratification- no other states joined in and ERA was defeated

46. Freedom Summer • Volunteers (white/black, northern/southern) to register black voters • Huge violent “reception” by KKK & hardliners

47. Movement Shifts • Activism and concerns more north & urban • De facto segregation instead of de jure • Roll of “affirmative action” in jobs & education • Urban rioting (Watts in ’65 & then numerous others in next few years) • Convinced white society there’s a need for tougher controls on “ghettos”

48. Black Power • Tired of waiting for white society to see the value integration • Racial pride in history, appearance, literature, & rejection of cultural adaptations • Black Panther Party (Huey Newton/Bobby Seale) • Malcolm X – “ballots or bullets”

49. The New Left Mostly white college students focusing on variety of social issues (civil rights for minority groups, poverty) Influenced by writings of many socialists, communists, revolutionaries Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) – Tom Hayden – Port Huron Statement (disillusionment in society-desire for a better one)

50. Campus Protest • Colleges seen as breeding ground for impersonal, corrupt, immoral society • Most were non violent & not even fully buying into the truly radical core of New Left • The Weathermen (“you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”) – blew up buildings supporting imperialist government actions (ROTC, research facilities) • Related to draft opposition