The Bay of Pigs Invasion
After winning the presidency, Kennedy was immediately challenged. The outgoing president, Eisenhower, worked with the CIA to create a plan to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba. Kennedy agreed to the planned invasion, which has gone down in United States history as one of the biggest presidential mistakes. What could he have done differently?
Bay of Pigs Invasion Maps
" Kennedy had made a mess in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs."
- Wally Schirra
- Wally Schirra
Reaction to the Bay of Pigs Invasion
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The Berlin Wall Crisis
Kennedy was now faced with his second crisis. The USSR had created a wall to separate Eastern and Western Berlin. Many in the United States saw this as a direct threat and urged Kennedy to take action. How did he handle it? Again - could/should it have been handled differently or better?
Berlin Wall Maps
Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!' - President John F. Kennedy
Berlin Wall Images
“A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”
- John F. Kennedy, August 1961
- John F. Kennedy, August 1961
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Thirteen days. The most tense thirteen days in world history. This is the closest that the world has ever come to nuclear war. The two superpowers decided to play a dangerous game of chicken. The fate of the world was at risk.
Installation of Nuclear Weapons in Cuba
Expected Range of Destruction of Soviet Missiles
"We were eyeball to eyeball, and the other fellow just blinked."
- Secretary of State Dean Rusk to President Kennedy
- Secretary of State Dean Rusk to President Kennedy
Cuban Missile Crisis Political Cartoons
"Well, I want to say, can I say that one other thing is whether we should also think of whether there is some other way we can get involved in this, through Guantanamo Bay or something. Or whether there's some ship that...you know, sink the Maine again or something." - Robert Kennedy exploring options in the ExComm
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Cuban Missile Crisis Images
Assassination of President Kennedy
The president that fought for Civil Rights, improving the standard of living for Americans, and against communism was murdered. Why? There are many conspiracies? Who killed him? Was it one man? Two? A major plot? The world may never know.
Assassination Images and Maps
". . . we might have ridden into an ambush."
— JFK aide David Powers
— JFK aide David Powers
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"I didn't shoot anybody, no sir . . . I'm just a patsy."
—Lee Harvey Oswald
—Lee Harvey Oswald