John F. Kennedy 1961-1963

The Election of 1960

The election of 1960was the closest since1884; Kennedy defeated RichardNixon by fewer than119,000 votes.

Did You Know?• He was a decorated naval officer in World War II.• He received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Profiles in Courage."• He served exactly 1,000 days in office.• He was the first president born in the 20th century and the youngest president ever elected.•He is the only Roman Catholic president•He could read 1600 words a minute.

Kennedy’s Inaugural AddressKennedy was the youngest person ever to be elected president. Hisyouth helped provide the theme to his inaugural address:

“Let the word go forth…That the torch has beenpassed to a new generation of Americans…The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bringto this endeavor will lightour country and all who serve it…And so, my fellowAmericans-ask not whatyour country can do for you-ask what you can dofor your country.”

The Camelot YearsWith JFK’syouthful glamourand his talentedadvisors, the Kennedy WhiteHouse remindedmany of a modern-day Camelot, themythical court ofKing Arthur.

Crisis Over CubaThe first test of Kennedy’sforeign policy came in Cuba,just 90 miles off the coast ofFlorida. Revolutionary leader,Fidel Castro, openly declaredhimself a communist and welcomed aid from the Soviet Union.

The Bay of PigsOn the nights of April 17,1961,some 1500 Cuban exiles supported by the U.S. militarylanded on the island’s southern coast at Baja deCochinos, the Bay of Pigs. The CIA and the exiles hoped itwould trigger a mass uprisingthat would overthrow Castro.It didn’t! Cuban forces, backedby Soviet tanks and jet aircraft,easily repelled the exile invasion.Some of the exiles were killed,others imprisoned.

Cuban Missile CrisisIn October, 1962, photographs takenby American planesrevealed Soviet missile bases in Cuba-and somecontained missilesready to launch.They could reachU.S. cities in minutes.

On October 22,Kennedy ordereda naval blockadeof Cuba to preventfurther deliveriesof Soviet weapons.He also demandedthat the Sovietsremove the missiles.Khrushchev promised tochallenge the blockade,calling it “outright banditry.”

For a few days, nuclear war and massive destruction was a distinct possibility for every American. In schools, childrenpracticed air raid drills, a common occurrence during the ColdWar. People who had built bomb shelters began stockingthem with food and other provisions. Even the president calledhis family to the White House where they could be protected inthe presidential nuclear shelter.

Suddenly, on October 24, many of the Soviet ships stopped shortof the blockade line, turned, and sailed home. “We’re eyeball toeyeball,” said Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “and I think the other fellow just blinked.” On October 28 Khrushchev agreedto dismantle the missile bases in response to Kennedy’s promisenot to invade Cuba.

Kennedy and BerlinOne of the high pointsof Kennedy’s foreigntravels was a trip hemade to Berlin in 1963to dramatize America’scommitment to WestBerlin and West Germany.In a speech at the BerlinWall, Kennedy electrifiedan audience of about 150,000Germans by stating , “Ich binein Berliner” (I am a Berliner),thus declaring the solidarity of all free people with the peopleof West Berlin.

The New Frontier

President Kennedy’slegislative program toprovide medical carefor the elderly….

To rebuild blightedurban areas….

To aid education….

To bolster the nationaldefense….

To increase international aid….

To expand the space program.

And to promote civil rights.

To provide volunteer assistance to developingnations in Asia, Africa,and Latin America.

Tragedy in DallasIn the fall of 1963, public opinion polls showed that Kennedy was losing popularity because of his advocacy of civil rights. On November 22,1963, President andMrs. Kennedy wentto Texas to mendpolitical fences withmembers of the state’s DemocraticParty.

Crowds lined thestreets of Dallasto greet the President. In frontof them sat TexasGovernor JohnConnally and hiswife Nellie.

As the car approached a state building known as the Texas State BookDepository, rifle shots rang out.

Kennedy wasshot in the head.His car raced toa nearby hospital, wheredoctors frantically triedto revive him,but it was toolate. PresidentKennedy wasdead.

In 1963, the WarrenCommission investigatedand concluded thatLee Harvey Oswaldhad shot the presidentwhile acting on his own.

On Sunday, Nov. 24,as millions watchedlive television coverage of Oswaldbeing transferredbetween jails, anightclub ownernamed Jack Rubybroke through thecrowd and shot andkilled Oswald.

Now the dark side....

• Kennedy was a pathological liar, a drug addict, and a bully who owed his presidency to the mafia.

• His health was so bad that it should have barred him from the presidency.

• Him and his wife were addicted to amphetamines, cocaine, hash, acid and constantly infected himself with STDs.