Policies of U.S. Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon,

and CarterCold War in the Americas

IB History 12

Policies of John F Kennedy• President Kennedy’s Cold War Foreign

Policies were:

• Escalation of US military involvement in Vietnam

• Successfully avoided war with USSR during Cuban Missile Crisis

• Failed attempt to create positive relationships with Latin American countries through a direct assistance program, called the Alliance for Progress, as opposed to espionage and military intimidation.

Policies of Lyndon B Johnson• President Johnson’s Cold War Foreign

Policies were mostly a continuation of President Kennedy’s policies because he became President as a result of Kennedy’sassassination.

• Johnson is considered responsible for the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War, but he only carried out that policy because it was planned by Kennedy.

• As the US involvement in the Vietnam War continued less resources were available for the Alliance for Progress program to improve relationships with Latin American Countries.

Policies of Richard M Nixon• President Nixon’s Cold War Foreign

Policies were:

• Ending the Alliance for Progress program with Latin American Countries because he felt it wasn’t effective.

• The withdrawal of the US from the Vietnam War

• Establishing a relationship with Communist China

Policies of President Jimmy Carter• President Carter’s Cold War Foreign Policies

were:

• Reducing the American military presence abroad, reducing nuclear weapons stockpiling, and asking countries not to depend on the United States for their defense.

• Attempting to reduce human rights abuses by refusing to provide aid to countries with evidence of human rights abuse.

• However, his policies were met with resistance becasue the USSR invaded Afghanistan and the Iranian Revolution led to a crisis involving American hostages.

Research Simulation• The Cold War policies of President’s

Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Carter were all different despite some policies being similar to each other.

• If you were a United States Citizen born in the early 1940’s you would have been an adult for the Presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Carter.

• Which of these President’s Cold War policies would you have been most supportive of?