Cold War 1960s-1970s

Cold War 1960s-1970s

Space Race

Multiple Choice

Which country took Germany Rocket Engineer?

• USA

• Russia

Multiple Choice

1955 Soviet Union launched ________________ in space

• Spatatoe

• Sputnik 1

• Spuds

Multiple Choice

1958 USA launched the ______ into space (a satellite)

• Explorer 1

• Expedition 1

• Explosion 1

Multiple Choice

Who sent the first man into space?

• USA

• Soviet Union

Multiple Choice

Who was the first American in space?

• Tim Allen

• Buzz Lightyear

• Allen Shepard

Meanwhile Kennedy and the Cold War

Cold War rhetoric dominated the 1960 presidential campaign. Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon both pledged to strengthen American military forces and promised a tough stance against the Soviet Union and international communism.

Cold War Dominating American Politics

Kennedy warned of the Soviet's growing arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles and pledged to revitalize American nuclear forces. He also criticized the Eisenhower administration for permitting the establishment of a pro-Soviet government in Cuba.

The Bay of Pigs

Before his inauguration, JFK was briefed on a plan drafted during the Eisenhower administration to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of their homeland. The plan anticipated that support from the Cuban people and perhaps even elements of the Cuban military would lead to the overthrow of Castro and the establishment of a non-communist government friendly to the United States. Kennedy approved the operation and some 1,400 exiles landed at Cuba's Bay of Pigs on April 17. The entire force was either killed or captured, and Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure of the operation.

Multiple Choice

The Bay of Pigs was a _____ operation

• Successful

• Failure

Multiple Choice

The Bay of Pigs was a plan to train Cuban ___________ to overtake their land

• extremists

• exercisers

• exiles

Arms Race Again

In June 1961, Kennedy met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna, Austria. (See a memorandum below outlining the main points of conversation between President Kennedy and Khrushchev at their first lunch meeting.) Kennedy was surprised by Khrushchev's combative tone during the summit. At one point, Khrushchev threatened to cut off Allied access to Berlin. The Soviet leader pointed out the Lenin Peace Medals he was wearing, and Kennedy answered, "I hope you keep them." Just two months later, Khrushchev ordered the construction of the Berlin Wall to stop the flood of East Germans into West Germany.

Arms Race Again Continued....

As a result of these threatening developments, Kennedy ordered substantial increases in American intercontinental ballistic missile forces. He also added five new army divisions and increased the nation's air power and military reserves. The Soviets meanwhile resumed nuclear testing and President Kennedy responded by reluctantly reactivating American tests in early 1962.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Open Ended

In your own words what was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Vietnam

In May 1961, JFK had authorized sending 500 Special Forces troops and military advisers to assist the government of South Vietnam. They joined 700 Americans already sent by the Eisenhower administration. In February 1962, the president sent an additional 12,000 military advisers to support the South Vietnamese army. By early November 1963, the number of US military advisers had reached 16,000.

Major Events

March 8, 1965 - The first official US combat troops arrive in Vietnam. The US begins a bombing campaign of Northern Vietnam called Operation Rolling Thunder. January 30, 1968 - North Vietnam launches the Tet Offensive attacking around 100 cities in Southern Vietnam. July 1969 - President Nixon begins the withdrawal of US troops. March 1972 - The North Vietnamese attack across the border in the Easter Offensive.

America's Confusion and War

Americans were deeply divided over the war. Some thought it was necessary, believing that if the Viet Cong won, Communism would spread to Cambodia and Laos. Others believed the war was too difficult to win and the sacrifices were too great. Thousands of American soldiers died and many innocent civilians were killed in Vietnam by American bombs. In January, 1968, the Viet Cong launched an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, several American bases, and 36 cities in South Vietnam. Soon after, President Johnson announced an end to American bombing in Vietnam.

President Johnson and Vietnam

Before the end of his presidency, President Johnson had started peace talks with the Viet Cong. President Nixon continued these talks in Paris, but at the same time, he launched secret bombing campaigns in Cambodia. His goal was to stop the North Vietnamese from delivering weapons and men through Cambodia to South Vietnam

In foreign policy, Johnson escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted Johnson the power to use military force in Southeast Asia without having to ask for an official declaration of war.