U-2 Spy Incident (1960)U-2 Spy Incident (1960)

Col. Francis Gary Col. Francis Gary Powers’ plane was Powers’ plane was

shot down over shot down over Soviet airspace.Soviet airspace.

Iran

Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadegh overthown with help from CIA He had nationalized Britain’s Anglo-Iranian Oil

Company Replaced with the Shah of Iran – loyal to U.S. and

renegotiated oil contracts so Americans got 40% of Iran’s oil concessions

Israel

1948 – Israel fights off attack by Arab neighbors Drove thousands of Palestinians from their homes Occupied territory where hundreds of thousands of

Palestinians had fled Seized lands far in excess of the terms of the

United Nations agreement Arab states refused to recognize Israel’s right to

exist and put in place a boycott Palestinians in refugee camps

The Suez Crisis: 1956-1957The Suez Crisis: 1956-1957

Egypt President Nasser looks to U.S. and Britain for

economic aid Wanted to build a dam on the Nile for electricity and

irrigation Nasser announced plans to nationalize the Suez

Canal and turns to Soviet Union for aid Eisenhower refuses to intervene and help return

canal to British control French, British, Israeli forces attack Egypt – UN and

US call for cease-fire and withdrawal of troops After Soviets threaten to intervene of behalf of Egypt

and troops leave

Foreign Policy “Hot Spots”

1. 1948 O. A. S. [Organization of American States] was created during Truman’s administration.

2. 1954 CIA covert ops. in Guatemala.

3. 1950s Puerto Rican independence movement.

4. 1959 Castro’s Communist Revolution in Cuba.

Latin America:

Guatemala

New democracy – attempted land reform & unionization

Challenged long-standing dominance of U.S. based United Fruit Company – take over land they were not using to give to landless peasants

Company lobbies Land reform = communism CIA trains antigovernment dissidents based in Honduras

Guatemala

U.S. Navy stopped ships bound for Guatemala and seized the cargos

U.S. military-sponsored invasion – Air Force bombing support

Guatemalan citizen seize United Fruit buildings & appeal to UN

Eisenhower denies knowledge of CIA activities – really big “black eye” for U.S. as photos of victims published

Decades long civil war ensues

Indochina

Under French control but wants independence U.S. fears communism

Pours in $2.6 billion to aid French Vietminh, Ho Chi Minh, defeat the French in 1954 at Dien

Bien Phu Fear domino theory Geneva Accord – divides country at 17th parallel – Ho Chi

Minh controls north and Ngo Dihn Diem controls south Diem, former Japanese collaborator, Catholic (90%

Buddhist population), corrupt and repressive policies U.S. & UN refuse to hold elections in 1956 – by 1959 South

was facing civil war; guerrilla forces

Independent Vietnam

U.S. actions 1954-1960 Covert CIA activity Support Diem SEATO – collective security agreement for

Southeast Asia – like NATO – U.S., Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan

Vietnam is in civil war when Kennedy takes office

Military-Industrial Complex

Total influence – “economic, political, even spiritual is felt in every statehouse, every office of the federal government.”

“The potential for disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.”

Election of 1960

Nixon vs. Kennedy Just over 100,000 votes from 69 million votes

cast - margin of victory Importance of African-American vote Importance of television in electoral politics Camelot

New Frontier Liberalism

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Funded programs to help rural Appalachia Peace Corps

Kennedy & the Cold War

As President, Kennedy gave more decision-making power to the White House staff

Alliance for Progress – like Marshall Plan for Latin America Increased agricultural productivity but effected little

social change

Paris, 1961Paris, 1961

Khrushchev & JFK meet to discuss Berlin and Khrushchev & JFK meet to discuss Berlin and nuclear proliferation. Khrushchev thinks nuclear proliferation. Khrushchev thinks

that JFK is young, inexperienced, and can be that JFK is young, inexperienced, and can be rolled.rolled.

The Berlin Wall Goes Up (1961)The Berlin Wall Goes Up (1961)

CheckpointCheckpointCharlieCharlie

Ich bin ein Berliner!Ich bin ein Berliner!

(1963)(1963)

President President Kennedy tells Kennedy tells Berliners that Berliners that

the West is with the West is with them!them!

Khruschev Embraces Castro,Khruschev Embraces Castro,19611961

Bay of Pigs Debacle (1961)Bay of Pigs Debacle (1961)

Showed Castro had the support of the Cuban people

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

We went eyeball-to-eyeball with the We went eyeball-to-eyeball with the Russians, and the other man blinked!Russians, and the other man blinked!

The Missile Crisis

Kennedy favored peaceful coexistence “hot line” set up between Washington &

Moscow Negotiation of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban

Treaty Pledge the U.S. would not invade Cuba

Assassination of JFK