John F Kennedy was faced with one of the toughest decisions any president has ever has had. This Essay will examine what type of leader John F Kennedy was. It will examine what people the president needs, the traits and strengths that Kennedy had, and lastly kennedys understanding for his people. In this 2 week span that Kennedy had to make a decision for his country. John F Kennedy did not make all of his decisions by himself. The president had people that he could can trust. But at the same time the president knows that certain people are leaning different ways in this situation. The president needs people that are thinking of americans. Because that is there job to protect americans. This group was called the X-Com. Which was filled with major people like Robert F Kennedy, Kenny O'Donnell, General Curtis Lemay, and General Maxwell Taylor. All of these people had strengths that the president used to keep the situation from war. He did this in several ways. First off, he made sure that people were working at the place that they knew the most of. That means, that that William McNamara who was the U.S Secretary of defense was working on protecting America and not working on the politics of the situation. …show more content…
Kennedy had to deal with these people. He needed to respond successfully because even though these people did not like what was happening, they were still important people that Kennedy needed to keep on his side. He responded to these challenges by making sure they knew why he thought this, and also by trying them to convince them why Kennedy was making the best idea. This was hard to do. Several people challenged Kennedy. This were mainly Military advisors. They challenged Kennedy by calling him weak and wondering why he would not attack when America had an advantage. They thought America should attack when the missiles were not operational yet in
The account is told from Robert F. Kennedy's point of view. Kennedy was a key player in the decisions made during the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy believed that the United States should try and resolve The Cuban Missile Crisis peacefully and that the United States needed to try and avoid resolving to violent measures. Kennedy took over for his brother, the President on many occasions. He led important meetings and tried to negotiate an understanding with the other cabinet members who were involved. At first he believed that a blockade around Cuba would be the right maneuver and his proposal was supported by the majority of the other members. Soon he realized though that the Russians were not planning on negotiating or dealing with this matter in any peaceful manner. Though apposed to it Kennedy moved for an air strike. He was very uncomfortable with the idea and he showed this with his remark to the president of "I now know how Tojo felt when he was planning Pearl Harbor.
Kennedy was elected president in the year of 1961. Which was during the time that the Cold War was in full swing. The Cold War being the tension filled era between the superpowers in the east and the superpowers in the west. Contrary to the other two presidents, JFK was not speaking to the American public at the time of the war 's conclusion but right near the middle of the 40 plus year issue. Regardless he was assuring the public. He stated, “...that the torch has been passed to a new generation of American-”. That optimism cannot be matched. Even at the darkest of times could he stand up there, the president of the United States, and tell the young people of America that their time is now. Not only that but he attempts to inspire Americans when he says “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”, which was definitely a knock at the Russians. JFK overall had this persona about him. This was the speech where muttered that historic and uplifting quote, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.” His message of peace and coexisting really stand the test of
In the Early Years: 1961-1963, Kennedy administration and Vietnam take flight. Assumptions behind the administration's decisions to increase U.S involvement in Vietnam strains two very important aspects that would gainsay obligation; one, the fall of South Vietnam to Communist control and the U.S military role and support. Discussion of knowledgeable ties to Southeast Asia emerged. Lack of governmental experts created obstacles. When the Berlin crisis occurred in 1961and during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, President Kennedy was able to turn to senior people like Llewellyn Thompson, Charles Bohlen and George Keenan, who knew the Soviets intimately. There were no senior officials in the Pentagon or State Department with comparable knowledge of Southeast Asia. Ultimately, the administration failed to critically analyze their assumptions and the foundations of their decisions, which inevitable ended in disaster.
After thirteen days of conflict, both superpowers agreed to withdraw their missiles. Although it was a stalemate, in the US this was presented as a major victory. Nuclear war was avoided without any loss of life or destruction. Just as in the Berlin Crisis, Kennedy used diplomacy to resolve conflicts with the Soviet Union. For Kennedy, “his readiness to offer negotiations was in part based on a politician’s belief
Kennedy took full public responsibility for the Bay of Pigs disaster though secretly he blamed the CIA. Kennedy fired three of the CIA?s top men whom were responsible for the operation: Director Allen Dulles, who was later a member of the Warren Commission (Lifton 176), General Cabell, and Richard Bissel. (Morrissey) After the CIA lost time, effort, and people in the attempt to secure Cuba, the CIA became hostile and wanted to get rid of Kennedy to prevent him from losing more ground, especially in Vietnam.Adding to the fire were Kennedy?s secret commitments to pulling out of Vietnam and his threat to?Smash the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter them in the wind? (Belzer 79)
What is a legacy? Is it strictly a visible, touchable object? A legacy is not just an object that people can see; it can be a dream or an idea. Although his life came to a tragic end, John F. Kennedy was one of the many presidents that served his term of presidency with compassion and dedication, and also, he left behind an unforgettable legacy to live on for the generations to come. His legacy was both an idea and dream that still affects many Americans today, as he led people to believe that he would make peace between countries. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty” (Kennedy). When he won the election for president in 1961, he would set goals for the United States that would amount to extraordinary events. Also, he would overcome one the most dangerous obstacles that any president has ever encountered.
JFK had lots of accomplishments during his short term as president.... ... middle of paper ... ... But sadly JFK was not alive to witness that his imagination & promise had been fulfilled. President Kennedy’s very famous quote “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” was definitely fulfilled by himself actually.
John F Kennedy was assassinated for many reasons. One big reason was that many people considered him a bad president. One reason for this is that he signed an order that would put the International Bankers who own the Federal Reserve out of business. On June 12, 1963, and executive order number 11110. It basically was going to strip the power of the federal reserve to loan money to the U.S government. This means that the bank was going to be out of business. When this was proposed, this meant that many people were going to lose their jobs. And they all got mad at JFK. They thought he signed it so he's responsible for our jobs. This cased hatred between many people. Another reason why people hated JFK was the Bay Of Pigs Invasion. The Bay Of Pigs Invasion was a plot to overthrow Cuba's communist government. This plan was started before his presidency. Later when he was a president, he learned about the plan. On March 11, 1961, Kennedy invited CIA director Allen Dulles and Richard Bissell the CIA's chief of operations to the white house. They were all going over plans on how the mission was going to be like. Dulles and Bissells both said that they were going to start the invasion with air strikes....
The first point that made John F. Kennedy responsible for handling the Cuban Missile Crisis, well, was his way of managing the public. In every crisis, a leader must always keep in mind of the reactions of the people because if it is ill dealt with, disastrous and chaotic consequences could ensue. Thus, even though nuclear warfare was prevented; credit should also be given to how the public of the United States did not end up in turmoil. To access how the public did not end up in chaos, one has to look into the genesis of when the majority of the American citizens received the news of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the first place. This leaves with only one source, which was the public address from President John F. Kennedy on October 22, 1962.1
In his Inaugural Address he said, that he would bear any burden, pay any price, and the hardship, to oppose any foe and success of liberty(Kennedy.5). This meant that he was to do as much as he possibly could to ensure and spread freedom around the world. Because European countries wanted a communist country which was to have all of your property owned not by you but everyone. Since there was no freedom or constitution Kennedy’s wasn’t going to approve of this idea. President Kennedy also stated, “...those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.” (Kennedy.8). He stated something very powerful with how the Nuclear attacks were occurring then that he said, that people who want power and use force will be destroyed before he can control
In the early nineteen sixties, John Fitzgerald Kennedy held the position as president of the United States. President Kennedy was very popular among the people, but because of his extreme principles and policies, Kennedy had some critics, however. President Kennedy became a strong ruler of America in the sixties, which made individuals worried. As for one man named Lee Harvey Oswald, he thought the same. Oswald, an ex-military sharpshooter, had a plan of his own for Kennedy.
Kennedy always saw the belief the people had in him. Everyone looked up at the family to see what they were doing and tried to do whatever they were doing. He acknowledged all the things he had to do and made it pretty clear that he received good respect from his voters. He gave power to the people. When people looked up at him, they saw how much he cared.
JFK made it sound that anything was possible, even going to the moon. Although Russia was the first country to send a satellite into space, Kennedy intended to advance the space program to make a statement and show that the US’ industrial superiority and challenge the U.S. into becoming an even stronger nation by setting allowances for the specific programs for instance before 1970 First Man on the moon.. The Kennedy Administration was known for it's foreign policy much more so than it's domestic policies. It had a sympathy for the Civil Rights movement and did back up integration every way possible but was unable to achieve any substantive reform.
When it comes to United States Presidents, everyone has an opinion of each president’s effectiveness. It takes character and talent to hold up to the stress of the White House. One aspect of a leader that measures their effectiveness is their capability to handle a crisis; another is their ability to make decisions for the betterment of whomever they lead, while still taking in all opinions. One example of an extremely effective president that successfully used those qualities was Abraham Lincoln.
In the film Robert Kennedy exaggerated the range of the Soviet missiles on Cuba having said that the missiles “could level every American city except Seattle” (“Counter Punch Thirteen Days Is Accurate Where It Counts”). Donaldson mainly focused on the United States reaction towards the Cuban Missile Crisis. Additionally, Donaldson does not take into consideration how much background knowledge his audience have regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis for both the United States and the Soviet Union. In the first scenes Donaldson immediately dives into the moment where President Kennedy is told by his administration the there are Soviet Missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy is notified of the missiles placed in Cuba by the Soviet Union he immediately consults his administration team. Robert “Bobby” Kennedy who is a member of the Kennedy’s administration in the film is portrayed as the individual who was immediately able to “create a peaceful solution” (“Thirteen Days Film Review”) that ended the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yet, the film does not highlight the long process it took for the United States and the Soviet Union to come to a compromise. The United States and Soviets actually came to a consensus when the United States said it would remove its missiles from Turkey after the Soviet Union removed their