John F. Kennedy: Report to the American People on the Soviet Arms Buildup in Cuba

About the Author

During his thousand days in the White House, John F. Kennedy made a profound and enduring impression on millions of Americans. Kennedy's record of achievement, especially in domestic affairs, was hardly exceptional; his eloquence and style accounted for much of his appeal. Kennedy was only forty-three years old when he took the oath of office, making him the youngest chief executive to be elected in American history. He was handsome, cool, and articulate, qualities that made him particularly effective on television when that electronic medium first became a powerful force in national politics. Kennedy inspired, moved, and motivated so many people because he was remarkably effective at giving expression to the nation's hopes and dreams.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, into a wealthy and politically prominent family. He graduated from Harvard University in 1940 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy the following year. He earned public acclaim for his heroism in August 1943, when a Japanese destroyer rammed the ship he commanded, PT-109, and he led the survivors in the weeklong ordeal in the South Pacific before being rescued. He entered politics as a Democrat in 1946 and won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in a Boston-area district. In 1952 Massachusetts voters elected him to the U.S. Senate. Kennedy secured the Democratic nomination for president in 1960, declaring during the campaign that it was time to get the country “moving again” (Giglio, p. 16). He complained that President Dwight D. Eisenhower had let the Soviet Union make dangerous advances in the cold war by launching Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite, in October 1957 and by gaining an advantage in long-range nuclear missiles. (Kennedy found the latter charge to be inaccurate after he became president.) In November 1960, Kennedy won a narrow victory over Vice President Richard M. Nixon, the Republican nominee.

As president, Kennedy compiled a modest record in domestic affairs. Congress failed to approve most of the measures that were part of the New Frontier, the name he gave to his domestic program. After campaign assurances that he would advance civil rights at a time when racial segregation was common in American life, Kennedy at first was cautious and hesitant but eventually took stronger action. When riots followed civil rights protests in Birmingham, Alabama, Kennedy told the American people on June 11, 1963, that racial justice was “a moral issue” and sent legislation to Congress to bar discrimination in employment and in public accommodations.

Kennedy was most concerned about the cold war and insisted that the United States needed to make more vigorous efforts to contain Soviet expansion and protect U.S. security. After a stormy meeting with the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna, Austria, in June 1961, he faced a crisis over Berlin. The Soviets built a wall between East and West Berlin to prevent East Germans from fleeing Communist rule. Kennedy faced his most dangerous crisis over Cuba (which was ruled by the Marxist dictator Fidel Castro) when the Soviets sent nuclear missiles to the Caribbean nation. Kennedy imposed a blockade of Cuba in October 1962, and the Cuban missile crisis ended when the Soviets complied with Kennedy's demand to remove the missiles and nuclear warheads. During what would be his final year in office, Kennedy proclaimed that the United States needed to continue to take strong action to meet Communist advances in trouble spots around the world, such as South Vietnam. But he also hoped for an easing of cold war tensions, and he signed a treaty in October 1963 banning the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, the oceans, and outer space. After serving less than three years in office, Kennedy died of gunshot wounds inflicted during a political trip to Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.