JFK and the Cold War

Bay of Pigs

• Fidel Castro had taken over Cuba, and was a known communist symphasizer.
• The United States had trained Cubans to invade.
• The Invasion was a complete and utter failure, the US had broken it's agreements, and the Cuban military had completely thrown back the attack.

Berlin Crisis

• After the second World War, Germany was divided up between the democratic east, and the communist west.
• The USSR had decided to make a temporary measure permanent, and because of this President Kennedy had ramped up military spending.
• The USSR had built the Berlin Wall to further divide the east from the west.

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Due to the threat that the USSR had posed to the United States, the US had posted ICBM's in Italy and Turkey.
• In response to this affront, the USSR had decided to put their own ICBM's in the newly-communist Cuba.
• The US decided to put a blockade upon Cuba, to prevent the ICBM's from reaching the island.
• To avoid conflict, the USSR had pulled back the ships that were sent to Cuba.
• The US and USSR had signed a treaty on October 27, 1961.

Assassination of JFK

• On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
• 45 minutes after the attack Oswald had shot and killed Police Office J.D. Tippit, Oswald was arrested for the murder of the police officer, but was then incriminated of having assassinated the President.
• As Oswald was being transfered to another cell, he was murdered by Jack Ruby.
• Despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that Jack Ruby and Oswald had cooperated in the murder, the theory still persists to this day.

Cuban Revolution

• The government of Cuba was ran by the dictator Fulgencio Batista.
• The government was a brutal dictatorship, which had oppressed the people.
• On the 26th of July, 1953 the rebels under the command of Fidel and Raul Castro, they had attacked several military installations.
• Over the course of 5 years, after much conflict, the "26 of July" rebels had ousted the government, and had put in place, (surprise surprise,) an even more corrupt authoritarian dictatorship, but this time, with strong communist ties.