The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 22, 1962 when President John F. Kennedy appeared on the home television screen of millions of Americans to address the nation on the events taking place. Kennedy informed the nation of the Soviet nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba. The fourteen- day phenomenon sent the United States government into a scramble to decide what they were to do, and how to go about doing so. The President took immediate action calling upon the CIA and Secretary of Defense, Communicating directly with the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, Kennedy’s own view on peace, and eventually an official trade embargo of all goods imported and exported to and from Cuba. Kennedy ultimately prevailed in the Cuban Missile Crisis
…show more content…
Kennedy was a man who strongly believed in peace, and living in a peaceful world. In Kennedy’s third State of the Union address he briefly speaks about Cuba and the fact that although a war had been completed and that at the moment there was no imminent danger, peace was not yet fully achieved. In an address to the nation on nuclear testing and disbarment President Kennedy admits that he would rather not have nuclear weapons in his arsenal, but until countries around the world share his view on world peace and the destruction of all nuclear warheads, the United States must keep enough warheads to ensure the safety of the United States and the citizens. In a speech given at American University in 1963, Kennedy again speaks on matters of peace and specifically what kind of peace he wished to see: “I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and hope and to build a better life for their children” (Kennedy). The speech on peace clearly defines what President Kennedy had hoped to begin to achieve in his years in office. He goes on to discuss the idea that war is pointless when every country has the ability to destroy another with a single weapon, and that the idea of having peace just because a nation controls a number of mass destructive weapons is not real peace. In a small, yet powerful, sentence Kennedy proves his idea of peace to be attainable: “Our problems are man-made; therefore they can be solved by man” (Kennedy). If man can create weapons of mass destruction, man can destroy them. If man has the ability to wage war on another country, he has the ability to end the war. Kennedy makes it clear in his speech that peace is not impossible; people only believe it to be impossible because people believe that war will give them what they want. It is ultimately Kennedy’s strong view on peace that allows for a victory in the Cuban Missile
Kennedy was a man who strongly believed in peace, and living in a peaceful world. In Kennedy’s third State of the Union address he briefly speaks about Cuba and the fact that although a war had been completed and that at the moment there was no imminent danger, peace was not yet fully achieved. In an address to the nation on nuclear testing and disbarment President Kennedy admits that he would rather not have nuclear weapons in his arsenal, but until countries around the world share his view on world peace and the destruction of all nuclear warheads, the United States must keep enough warheads to ensure the safety of the United States and the citizens. In a speech given at American University in 1963, Kennedy again speaks on matters of peace and specifically what kind of peace he wished to see: “I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and hope and to build a better life for their children” (Kennedy). The speech on peace clearly defines what President Kennedy had hoped to begin to achieve in his years in office. He goes on to discuss the idea that war is pointless when every country has the ability to destroy another with a single weapon, and that the idea of having peace just because a nation controls a number of mass destructive weapons is not real peace. In a small, yet powerful, sentence Kennedy proves his idea of peace to be attainable: “Our problems are man-made; therefore they can be solved by man” (Kennedy). If man can create weapons of mass destruction, man can destroy them. If man has the ability to wage war on another country, he has the ability to end the war. Kennedy makes it clear in his speech that peace is not impossible; people only believe it to be impossible because people believe that war will give them what they want. It is ultimately Kennedy’s strong view on peace that allows for a victory in the Cuban Missile