Kennedy and Cuba

Brian Flowers
Prof. Greene
HIST 4390: Cold War
Paper 1
21 April 2016
Kennedy’s leadership involving Cuba
Former President John F. Kennedy is disputed for his handling of Cuba and more specifically the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The reasoning behind the controversy is because Cuba is right on the American boarder. Putting the icing on the cake, they are also a communist nation that is supported by rival Soviet Union. Cuba is to America as what Turkey is to the Soviet Union. It is a nation close enough to store close range nuclear missiles in wake of a nuclear war. Cuba is also a nation where the Soviet Union could use to keep a close eye on the United States. The dispute between Cuba was inherited by President Kennedy from his predecessor President Eisenhower. Special operations to overthrow the Cuban government was already set in place by the Eisenhower regime, such as Operation Mongoose and the Bay of Pigs. Kennedy did not help out his situation by promising to the American people that under his administration, Cuba will never have nuclear weapons on their soil. Kennedy was sought out to be weak when it came to Cuba. This was due to the failure of the Bay of Pigs. This public opinion was sought to be a factor as to why Kennedy would not budge during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union was a point where World War III looked inevitable. Neither side backed down and any miscommunication could lead to an accidental start to nuclear war. Kennedy’s demeanor during the Cuban crisis is highly debated. Some historians argue that his handling of Cuba was skillful, while others believe that lady luck was the reason for their not to have been nuclear war. His leadership is also brought into question due to the fact there was little transparency between himself and the American people.   Overall, Kennedy was an innocent bystander during the Bay of Pigs failure and displayed skillful leadership when it...