Foreign Policy

John F. Kennedy

Lyndon Johnson

Richard Nixon

Construction of the Berlin Wall

• Description: A wall of concrete and barbed wire, guarded by machine gun towers that separated East and West Berlin. It prevented Germans from escaping through Berlin to the West. 

• Impact: It helped stop/slow down the spread of communism. 

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• Description: In August 1964, North Vietnamese fired on American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized Johnson to send in troops. 

• Impact: In response to this alleged Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Congress passed the “GUlf of Tonkin Resolution”, giving the President extraordinary powers to take all measures necessary to stop North Vietnamese aggression. 

Vietnamization

• Description: The South Vietnamese assumed the brunt of the fighting. Nixon gradually withdrew American combat troops from Vietnam and ended  the “draft”.

• Impact: At the same time, he increased American bombing  missions over the North and the flow of military supplies and economic support to South Vietnam. 

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Description: In October 1962, the US discovered from its spy planes that Cuba was  secretly trying to build bases for Soviet nuclear missiles. 

• Impact: Kennedy imposed a naval blockade around the island  of Cuba and threatened to invade if the missiles were not withdrawn.

Escalation of U.S. Involvement in Vietnam

• Description: If South Vietnam fell to Communism, neighboring nations would also fall like a row of dominoes and American leaders were afraid that if they did not make a stand, it would spread further. 

Impact: Bombings increased rather than decreased efforts, missions failed, and North Vietnam continued to fight until they won the war.

Paris Peace Accords 1973

• Description: A cease - fire agreement with the North Vietnamese based on the withdrawal of all US troops from Vietnam.

• Impact: Even after the American withdrawal, bitter fighting continued in Southeast Asia.

Arms Race

• Description: Nuclear weapons that were supposed to act as a deterrent which the Soviet Union would’ve been “deterred” from attacking the US because Americans would retaliate by destroying the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons. 

• Impact: The superpower began building and stockpiling as many nuclear weapons as possible to ensure its nuclear superiority. 

Tet Offensive

• Description: The Vietcong seized control of many of South Vietnam's major cities. 

• Impact: Although American forces were eventually able to drive the Vietcong out of these strongholds, the offensive showed that the Communists were far from beaten.

Bay of Pigs

• Description: In April 1961, about 1,400 CIA - trained Cuban exiles attempted their invasion of Cuba by landing at the Bay of Pigs. The night before, the CIA planes bombed Cuban airfields but failed to destroy all Cuban aircraft.

• Impact: The Bay of Pigs invasion led Castro to strengthen his ties with the Soviet Union.