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... ricans, especially youths, could not understand what the government was doing in Vietnam, and felt that America was intruding in order to expand itself, in contradiction to the democratic way (Buzzanco 5). Americans were suspicious of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. He had a Marxist ideology and eventually made Cuba a Communist dictatorship. He seized American utilities such as oil.
Eisenhower gave permission for Cuban exiles in Guatemala to be trained to overthrow Castro, calling this plan the Bay of Pigs invasion. While campaigning, Kennedy focused a lot on anti-communism and anti-Cuba. Kennedy was informed of Eisenhower's plan, though advisors were starting to have doubts. After Kennedy had only been in office for 30 days, though inexperienced, he decided to ignore warnings and proceed with the plan. The success of the mission was estimated to have about a fifty percent chance, but Kennedy failed to examine the weak areas of the plan, ignoring skepticism from knowledgeable Congressmen.
Castro's forces were much stronger than Kennedy and the CIA had expected, and the operation was an embarrassing failure (Giglio 48 - 58). Kennedys mistakes in this situation were for many reasons, and this disaster shows how over-confidence and competitiveness can lead to many problems, especially when mixed with event-making characteristics. First, his hatred for Castro led him to blind confidence against him. Kennedy also put way to much faith in the CIA, which had been over-confidant about this mission. Giglio writes that Kennedy was a fan of James Bond movies, and was charmed by the CIA (54). Kennedys immaturity caused him to sometimes lack a sense of reality.
Kennedy also felt pressure from the Eisenhower era. Ike was considered the greatest military man in America and no one wanted to challenge him. In contradiction, Kennedy was an inexperienced youth. He had criticized Ike for not confronting Castro, and now had to back up his assertions (Giglio 55). Eisenhower, in his farewell address, had advised America against continuing the war in Vietnam, but Kennedy enlarged involvement in the war within three years of entering office (Buzzanco 64).
Kennedys hatred of communism was very competitive, and he used it to show Americans and the world that he was a strong President who was not going to back down. Vietnam was his way of showing this, saying, that son of a bitch (Khrushchev) wont pay any attention to words, he has to see you move so why not Vietnam? (Buzzanco 65). This shows Kennedy as an eventful man and charismatic, because once a situation fell into his lap, he pushed on in order to show strength. Hook describes an eventful man as any man whose actions help influence events and developments along a different path then what would have occurred if the actions had not been taken (Hook 154). He is usually just in the right place at the right time, and makes a decision or command that basically anyone could make, but it does make a difference to the outcome of the situation. The situation requires a relatively simple act and common sense decisions to overcome, and the eventful man rarely knows what he is doing when he does it (Hook 157).
One of his advisors, Walt Rostov, encouraged Vietnam saying a clear victory would erase the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Eventful men usually depend a lot on the advise of others (Hook 166). Kennedys next step was to increase the land troops by 200, 000, and the Civil Guard from 32, 000 to 68, 000. The White House also sent Diem an extra $ 42 million. In 1962, things were looking good for Kennedy in regards to the war. The Viet Cong was terrified, and Americas side was on the offensive.
This did not last long, though. On January 2, 1963, the Viet Cong attacked. The ARVN allowed the attack, for fear of losing soldiers, and just waited it out until the opportunity to escape arrived. Diem was killed shortly afterwards, and it appeared that the tables had turned. However, Kennedy continued to push, saying the withdrawal of American troops only makes it easier for the Communists (Buzzanco 67 - 68). After Kennedys assassination, America continued to follow his policy, and remained in the war.
In the end, the war was lost, and America was defeated. Kennedy changed history by pushing for involvement in the Vietnam War, which shows how Kennedy was an eventful man. This war turned out to be a disaster for Americans, and left the nation disillusioned. It also served as an example to the nation; America is not invincible.
Over 58, 000 American soldiers were killed, but more importantly Americans felt extremely disillusioned. Thousands of veterans suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or were strongly addicted to drugs and alcohol (Buzzanco 135). Were these loses really worth trying to prove that Kennedy was a macho man? He had the chance to get out, but continued to prove a point. Historian Thomas Patterson commented, he had his chance, and he failed (Buzzanco 68). On October 22, 1962, Kennedy announced to Americans that the Soviet government was setting up missile sites on the island of Cuba, which would have the capability to hit any major city in the U.
S. Kennedy calmed Americans by saying American naval vessels were stopping transports to Cuba from the Soviets, and military forces were prepared to raid Cuba at any time. This was the first case that two major powers of the world were confronting each other, and the result could be nuclear warfare (Eubank 1). This was another major opportunity for Kennedy to show that he would not back down from the Soviets, but he also had to be extremely careful to keep the world from a nuclear war. Many of Kennedys actions and decisions helped to create this conflict. He failed to warn Khrushchev about placing missiles in Cuba, because he did not think he would actually go through with it.
Kennedy also initiated a plan called Operation Mongoose, which was basically a paranoid, frantic reaction to Castro. This operation intensified the Soviet feeling that the U. S. would invade Cuba, and even after the missiles were removed, Kennedy still did not publicly assure the Soviets and Cubans that the U. S. would stay out of Cuba.
His stubbornness and obsession with his tough image created extreme tension (Eubank 101). The resolution of this crisis was a series of agreements between Kennedy and Khrushchev. Khrushchev agreed to remove the bombs, and Kennedy stopped the naval quarantine of Cuba; however, the missiles remained in Cuba because the Soviets were still afraid of military attack. After the crisis was completely over, Americans believed that Kennedy had demonstrated the ability to handle crisis management. Democracy had overcome Communism (Eubank 96). In actuality, Kennedy refused to make an agreement that the U.
S. would not invade Cuba, therefore bringing the world very close to world war. The fact that nuclear war did not occur was more a matter of luck than skill, but by making all the appearances on television throughout the crisis, Kennedy convinced the American people that he had negotiated peace. According to Eubank, Crisis management would perhaps have not been necessary had not Kennedy overreacted and risked the first nuclear war to save his reputation (99). Kennedy gained a political advantage by forcing the Cubans to remove the missiles before the congressional elections instead of just waiting to see why the Soviets had the missiles.
He also felt that Khrushchev wouldnt take his seriously if he had backed down. He appeared macho to American voters by forcing the removal of the missiles. Kennedy aggressively confronted Khrushchev instead of quietly negotiating with him because during his campaign he had criticized Republicans, claiming if he were elected he would settle the issue of Cuba (Eubank 99). In Kennedys opinion, a weak reaction to Cuba would have cost him his presidency; in actuality, Kennedys ego almost led to nuclear world war. Kennedys fight against the communist forces of the 1960 s was the crisis needed for Kennedy to change from a natural leader into a charismatic president in the eyes of the American people.
He appeared strong, youthful, energetic, and macho during each confrontation. Many of his decisions were based on luck, as that of an eventful man, but he definitely made some event-making decisions that changed the course of history, such as the Peace Corps. In a time where social order was being disturbed, Kennedy helped to maintain it by being a symbol of American democracy. Though the Bay of Pigs invasion was a disaster, Kennedy kept Americans confident by appearing confident.
He remained strong against the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, and never backed down from Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy is a prominent figurer in Americas history. Though he isnt considered a charismatic in the sense of a cult leader or messenger from God, Kennedy definitely has charismatic qualities described by Hook, Weber and Ships all three important philosophers. Kennedy did some incredibly good things for the country, had an amazing and ideal image, was very intelligent, and represented America during a time of crisis against Communism. Though Kennedy kept his secrets of weakness from the American people, it was probably for the best at the time.
By appearing strong and keeping an ideal family image, Kennedy made Americans feel safe and secure during times of near disaster for the world. Kennedys charisma came from the fact that he was not perfect, and made many mistakes, but was still able calm Americans. Kennedy also had many negative aspects of a charismatic leader. He had a competitive ego, and kept many secrets from the American people in order to maintain his appearance of strength against Communist leaders such as Khrushchev, Castro, and Ho Chi Minh. Many of his decisions were based on the desire to increase his image. The American perception of Kennedys greatness can be seen with the reaction to his assassination.
November 22, 1963 will forever be a day of mourning for the nation.
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