John F. Kennedy

Paper Summary:

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was President of the United States for less than three years, yet in that time he had a major impact on the country and on foreign and domestic policy lasting for a decade or more. Some of his actions produced effects that were beneficial, and others can be seen now as less effective, notably his enmeshing the country in the Vietnam War. This paper examines the "Camelot" myth surrounding the life and death of Kennedy, America's foreign policy under his leadership and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

From the Paper:

"The event that tested Kennedy's resolve most dramatically was the Cuban Missile Crisis, a success on the heels of the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Kennedy's victory over Kruschev is remembered now as a high point for American power, which would have been otherwise for Kennedy had the Bay of Pigs fiasco been all that was remembered. The Bay of Pigs invasion was in April 1961. The Eisenhower Administration broke off relations with Cuba 17 days before Kennedy assumed office (Walton 39). The invasion involved 1400 Cuban exiles under the direction of the CIA. The Cuban militia crushed the invasion in a few days (Miroff 113)."

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