Jefferson Morley

And those feelings came to the fore in what's called the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, in which the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles south of Florida. And President Kennedy demanded that those missiles be removed. The Soviet Union refused. They said, you have missiles on our border, 20 miles from our border.

And those feelings came to the fore in what's called the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, in which the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles south of Florida. And President Kennedy demanded that those missiles be removed. The Soviet Union refused. They said, you have missiles on our border, 20 miles from our border.

How can you be offended by our missiles 90 miles from your border? And Kennedy said, if those missiles aren't removed, I'm going to attack. We're going to destroy them ourselves. Kennedy was under huge pressure from his generals who said right from the start, just go in and destroy those missiles. Kennedy pursued a peaceful solution and rejected the unanimous recommendation of his generals.

How can you be offended by our missiles 90 miles from your border? And Kennedy said, if those missiles aren't removed, I'm going to attack. We're going to destroy them ourselves. Kennedy was under huge pressure from his generals who said right from the start, just go in and destroy those missiles. Kennedy pursued a peaceful solution and rejected the unanimous recommendation of his generals.

How can you be offended by our missiles 90 miles from your border? And Kennedy said, if those missiles aren't removed, I'm going to attack. We're going to destroy them ourselves. Kennedy was under huge pressure from his generals who said right from the start, just go in and destroy those missiles. Kennedy pursued a peaceful solution and rejected the unanimous recommendation of his generals.

And for two weeks, the world lived in a very real fear that there was about to be a nuclear war in which 10 million people might be killed in a matter of days. And President Kennedy was the president who was going to have to push the button and make that happen. And Kennedy thought, this is crazy. I don't want to go to war over Cuba. It's not an important country. I

And for two weeks, the world lived in a very real fear that there was about to be a nuclear war in which 10 million people might be killed in a matter of days. And President Kennedy was the president who was going to have to push the button and make that happen. And Kennedy thought, this is crazy. I don't want to go to war over Cuba. It's not an important country. I

And for two weeks, the world lived in a very real fear that there was about to be a nuclear war in which 10 million people might be killed in a matter of days. And President Kennedy was the president who was going to have to push the button and make that happen. And Kennedy thought, this is crazy. I don't want to go to war over Cuba. It's not an important country. I

Kennedy got the Soviet Union to back down, and they withdrew the missiles. And Kennedy enjoyed a tremendous boon in his popularity. Peace was popular. And so after that, Kennedy had a new vision of the world. He never wanted to be put in that position again. He saw how dangerous the Cold War was, how it might create a war really over nothing that was very important. Cuba was not important.

Kennedy got the Soviet Union to back down, and they withdrew the missiles. And Kennedy enjoyed a tremendous boon in his popularity. Peace was popular. And so after that, Kennedy had a new vision of the world. He never wanted to be put in that position again. He saw how dangerous the Cold War was, how it might create a war really over nothing that was very important. Cuba was not important.

Kennedy got the Soviet Union to back down, and they withdrew the missiles. And Kennedy enjoyed a tremendous boon in his popularity. Peace was popular. And so after that, Kennedy had a new vision of the world. He never wanted to be put in that position again. He saw how dangerous the Cold War was, how it might create a war really over nothing that was very important. Cuba was not important.

Not many people, not important to the U.S. economy, not a threat strategically. You know, it was not important. And yet Kennedy had almost been forced to nuclear holocaust. So that was why he pushed the test ban treaty. That was why he didn't pursue the overthrow of Castro. That was why he put out private feelers. Would Castro be interested in a diplomatic settlement of the country's

Not many people, not important to the U.S. economy, not a threat strategically. You know, it was not important. And yet Kennedy had almost been forced to nuclear holocaust. So that was why he pushed the test ban treaty. That was why he didn't pursue the overthrow of Castro. That was why he put out private feelers. Would Castro be interested in a diplomatic settlement of the country's

Not many people, not important to the U.S. economy, not a threat strategically. You know, it was not important. And yet Kennedy had almost been forced to nuclear holocaust. So that was why he pushed the test ban treaty. That was why he didn't pursue the overthrow of Castro. That was why he put out private feelers. Would Castro be interested in a diplomatic settlement of the country's

That was why Kennedy was holding back in Vietnam. And in October 1963, he signs on to a symbolic 1,000-man withdrawal of U.S. troops. So while Kennedy's military and intelligence apparatus favored a very aggressive military approach—overthrow Castro, don't make deals with the Soviet Union, escalate in Vietnam— Kennedy didn't want to do that.

That was why Kennedy was holding back in Vietnam. And in October 1963, he signs on to a symbolic 1,000-man withdrawal of U.S. troops. So while Kennedy's military and intelligence apparatus favored a very aggressive military approach—overthrow Castro, don't make deals with the Soviet Union, escalate in Vietnam— Kennedy didn't want to do that.

That was why Kennedy was holding back in Vietnam. And in October 1963, he signs on to a symbolic 1,000-man withdrawal of U.S. troops. So while Kennedy's military and intelligence apparatus favored a very aggressive military approach—overthrow Castro, don't make deals with the Soviet Union, escalate in Vietnam— Kennedy didn't want to do that.

And in June of 1963, he makes a very important speech to the graduating class at American University in 1963. And he says, we do not want a Pax Americana imposed by US weapons. It's a very striking statement for a U.S. president to make, and not one that any president before him had ever made. He was saying, you know, we don't want to be the world's policemen.

And in June of 1963, he makes a very important speech to the graduating class at American University in 1963. And he says, we do not want a Pax Americana imposed by US weapons. It's a very striking statement for a U.S. president to make, and not one that any president before him had ever made. He was saying, you know, we don't want to be the world's policemen.

And in June of 1963, he makes a very important speech to the graduating class at American University in 1963. And he says, we do not want a Pax Americana imposed by US weapons. It's a very striking statement for a U.S. president to make, and not one that any president before him had ever made. He was saying, you know, we don't want to be the world's policemen.