Having served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II and as the first Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Dwight Eisenhower capitalized on his war-time popularity (he campaigned under the slogan "I Like Ike") and successfully ran for president of the United States in 1952. As the nation's 34th president, Eisenhower inherited the leadership of a country that was steeped in the Cold War. Early in his presidency, Eisenhower outlined the principle that would come to define America's strategy for handling the Cold War in the decades to come: the Domino Theory. Click on the button below to read President Eisenhower's explanation of the Domino Theory delivered at a press conference in April 1954.
Throughout his presidency, Eisenhower sought to deescalate Cold War tensions around the world (he especially worked to improve relations with the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin in 1953), while at the same time authorizing multiple covert operations against communism around the world. In 1953, shortly after taking office, Eisenhower both signed an armistice ending the Korean War and delivered an address to the United Nations General Assembly in which he spelled out the necessity of repurposing existing nuclear weapons technology to peaceful means. Click the button below to view/listen to the excerpt from President Eisenhower's address to the United Nations that became known as "Atoms for Peace."
Despite attempts to improve relations with the Soviet Union and deescalate Cold War tensions, President Eisenhower put into practice the domino theory throughout his two terms in office. On multiple occasions, Eisenhower authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to undertake covert operations against communism around the world, including Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954). Click on each of the buttons below to learn more about U.S. involvement in the coups of Iran and Guatemala.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy became the youngest president in U.S. history when he was elected the 35th president of the United States. Like his predecessors, President Kennedy adopted the policy of containment to deal with the threat of the global spread of communism. In his inaugural speech, Kennedy stated “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Kennedy's foreign policy beliefs were put to the test early in his presidency when he was forced to deal with burgeoning presence of communism in Cuba after Fidel Castro gained control of power in the country. On April 17, 1961, 1,400 American-trained anti-Castro Cuban exiles launched an invasion to overthrow Castro from power in Cuba in what became known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The invasion was a miserable failure, as it was quickly snuffed out by Castro's forces, and became a source of great embarrassment for the United States and President Kennedy. Click on the each of the links below to learn more about the failed Bay of Pigs invasion.
Within months of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, President Kennedy faced yet another crisis involving Cuba. In October 1962, U.S. U-2 aircrafts took several pictures clearly showing sites for medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles under construction in Cuba. After carefully considering multiple courses of action, President Kennedy ultimately decided to order a naval “quarantine” of Cuba. On October 22, 1962, Kennedy sent a letter to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev declaring that the United States would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba, and demanded that the Soviets dismantle the missile bases already under construction or completed, and return all offensive weapons to the U.S.S.R. On October 24, Khrushchev responded to Kennedy’s message with a statement that the U.S. “blockade” was an “act of aggression” and that Soviet ships bound for Cuba would be ordered to proceed. Pushing the two superpowers to the closest they had ever been to actually becoming involved in a direct military conflict with each other, eventually cooler heads prevailed over the issues of Cuba, as the Soviets agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba if the United States promised not to invade the island. Click on each of the links below to learn more about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Following the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th president of the United States. Before his untimely death, Kennedy had begun to assign military personnel to Vietnam to assist the South Vietnamese in their struggle against communist forces from the north and the Viet Cong, South Vietnamese supporters of communist forces in the south. After being sworn in as president, Johnson quickly affirmed the Kennedy administration's commitments to helping the South Vietnamese. Click on each of the links below to learn more about the steps that President Johnson took to aid the South Vietnamese in their struggle to prevent the spread of communism throughout Vietnam.