Jfk and the Cuban Missile Crisis - 2188 Words

Running head: JFK HANDLES THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS President JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis Contemporary History June 12, 2010 The Cuban Missile Crisis forever marked 1962 as the year the world almost witnessed a nuclear war. The Soviet Union, Cuba, and the United States were all teetering on the edge of a cliff that was crumbling from the weight of fear, tension, and secrecy. It also marked the official end of Americans innocent belief that they were safe in the glow of Lady Liberty’s torch. Yet amidst the dark shadow of nuclear threat one American president rose to this challenge and proved that peace through strength is the best strategy. In 1962 the Soviet Premier was Nikita Kruschchev. During this time the Soviet Union†¦show more content†¦Kennedy’s final step, as laid out in his speech, was more of a personal statement to Kruschchev when he stated that, â€Å"Seventh and finally: I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace and to stable relations between our two nations. I call upon him further to abandon this course of world domination, and to join in an historic effort to end the perilous arms race and to transform the history of man. He has an opportunity now to move the world back from the abyss of destruction--by returning to his government s own words that it had no need to station missiles outside its own territory, and withdrawing these weapons from Cuba--by refraining from any action which will widen or deepen the present crisis--and then by participating in a search for peaceful and permanent solutions.† (Ken nedy, 1962). Now the world would simply have to wait to see if Kruschchev would heed this warning/request. The very next day Kruschchev wrote a letter to President Kennedy addressingShow MoreRelatedThe Cuban Missile Crisis Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. This incident launched the world into a new time, which presented nuclear weapons as a source of power. The incident of the Cuban Missile Crisis still connects with us today because the power nuclear weapons present, which providesRead MoreThe Assassination Of John F. Kennedy1620 Words   |  7 Pagesopen and closed case. They found Lee Harvey Oswald, close to ground zero, with a freshly fired riffle, immediately after JFK was shot. 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Kennedy s President Of The Cuban Missile Crisis902 Words   |  4 PagesThirteen Days In October of 1962 a pressing matter arose during John F. Kennedy’s presidential term. It was made apparent that the Soviet Union was holding and building missiles in Cuba, it was named the Cuban missile crisis. Being a dangerously close country to the United States, JFK knew he needed to make a smart and safe decision, and fast. Kennedy had suspicions that this option would cause a third World War and end in a nuclear fallout. Kennedy’s determination to be a participative leader wasRead MoreThe 1960s Of The 1960 S994 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1960’s was a very influential time in the United States of America. The United States began to explore a new culture of people known as hippies. The USA endured a great scare of nuclear war from the Cuban Missile Crisis. This country lost two famous leaders from that era; John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., who were assassinated. 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