[Music] Dum D D D D D D D D D there a by the name of and was very alert when danger threatened him he never got hurt he knew just what to do he's [Music] and [Music] and and good evening my fellow citizens this government as promised has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba within the past week unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned Island [Music] hey B come on out and meet all these nice people please oh all right we really can't blame you you see Bert is a very very careful fellow when there's danger this is the way he keeps from being hurt some times it even saves his [Music] Lord You John Fitzgerald Kennedy do solemnly swear I John Fitzgerald Kennedy to solemly s that you will Faithfully execute the office of President of the United States that I will Faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of your ability and will to the best of my ability preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States so help you God so help me [Applause] [Music] God at the dawn of the 60s a captivating figure emerged on the American political stage hailing from Massachusetts John Fitzgerald Kennedy Rose through the ranks of American politics in the post-war era and established himself as a new kind of politician one that valued idey ology just as much as [Music] image with his striking looks High Society lifestyle and an ER of Charisma Kennedy transcended the traditional mold of a political leader this new Kennedy style of politics was glamorous Charming sophisticated and most importantly it was becoming supremely popular with voters across America through a steady stream of speeches book deals and public appearances the young Senator soon became more than just a politician with a popularity more akin to that of a national celebrity he was the embodiment of the American family man he valued Progressive ideas and he was able to connect with the public like no other politician Mr harer this bill is not a strike breaking union busting Bill you're the best argument I know for your testimony here this afternoon your complete indifference to the fact that numerous people who hold responsible positions in your union come before this committee and take the Fifth Amendment because an honest answer might tend to incriminate them your complete indifference to it I think makes this bill essential despite skepticism about his age and experience Kennedy's appeal was reaching beyond the political Arena he became a symbol of real change a much needed fresh face in American politics it was against this backdrop that Kennedy made the historic decision to run for the highest office in the land and I can assure all of you here who have reposed this confidence in me that I will be worthy of your trust we will carry the fight to the people in the fall and we shall win after gaining the Democratic nomination in January 1960 the stage was set for a political Showdown against the seasoned Republican candidate Richard Nixon a former vice president under the popular Eisenhower Administration tonight I again proudly accept that nomination for president of the United States at the start of the campaign Nixon was the favorite to win with a miracle needed to outperform the incumbent vice president and that Miracle came in the form of Television the 1960 election ction became the first in history to live stream debates and with over 90% of households in America now owning a television set Kennedy seized the opportunity to connect directly with the nation over four debates his eloquence and compelling rhetoric began to reshape the political landscape well I'll just say that the question is of experience the question also is what our judgment is at the future and what our goals of the United States and what ability we have to implement those goals Abraham Lincoln came to the presidency in 1860 after a rather little known session in the House of Representatives and after being defeated for the senate in 58 and was a distinguished president there's no certain road to the presidency there are no guarantees that uh if you take one road or another that you will be a successful president I have been in the Congress for 14 years I have voted in the last uh eight years uh the vice president was uh presiding over the Senate which candidate and which party to meet the problems that the United States is going to face in the 6 his message was clear vote for me if you want a new leader for the 60s and soon enough Kennedy began to take the lead on November the 8th 1960 America went to the polls it was a day that would not only decide the Third 35th President of the United States but also the trajectory of the nation as it entered a new decade the results defied expectations Nixon conceded and John F Kennedy was declared the president elect I want I want Senator Kennedy to know and I want all of you to know that uh certain if this trend does continue and he does become our next president that he will have my wholehearted support and as the curtain fell on one of the closest elections in history America stepped into a new era Guided by the vision and Leadership of a man who had captured the nation's imagination and so my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for for you ask what you can do for your country the Kennedy era had begun when Kennedy assumed the presidency the world found itself at the precipice of an escalating conflict a cold war that had been brewing since 1945 as the year began the United States was surmounting the last barriers to full reconversion we were financially an island apart from the world our national income was predicted to exceed $200 billion never before had the nation known such Freedom from Want but in this realm of abundance we reigned alone across the vast expanses of the globe there were famine National ruin pestilence and moral disintegration Four Horsemen driving civilization to the brink of an abyss without help recovery might never be achieved in the background was the growing struggle between two great powers to shape the post-war world looking toward Europe from Moscow Soviet Russia was expansively Stabbing Westward knifing into Nations left empty by war with misery and Chaos as allies on orders from the Kremlin Russia had launched one of history's most political moral and economic Wars a cold war War the United States was obliged to help Europe Safeguard its traditional freedoms and the independence of its Nations gone was the spirit of wartime Unity that reached its peak on that historic afternoon in April 45 at the Elba River in Germany here Two Worlds actually met but this Coalition was to be torn [Music] aunder no issue felt more pressing for the American public than the growing paranoia and fear of Communism from the east in the aftermath of the second world war A New World Order had emerged with the United States and the Soviet Union standing at top the global hierarchy once wartime allies against Nazism the two now found themselves with no common cause to fight the power vacuums left in the wake of the war in Europe Africa and Asia had triggered a global struggle for political influence and control between the Americans and the Soviets it was East versus West democracy versus communism superpower versus superpower and whilst the two never entered into direct conflict proxy wars supported by the Americans and the Soviets soon broke out across the world these parts of the globe became a playground for them to assert their own political and economic influence from the Korean War to the Cuban Revolution the mid-century post-war era was dictated by the two superpowers as they attempted to outdo each other for ideological domination these two equally powerful but opposing forces were indirectly colliding across the world leaving a trail of Destruction in their wake yet amid these proxy conflicts another more ominous threat loomed large that had the potential to inflict more damage on the world than any War level level level 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 nuclear weapons since the haunting days of Hiroshima and nagasa where the first atomic bombs were used the superpowers had embarked on an unrelenting quest for nuclear [Music] Supremacy by 1960 over 20,000 nuclear weapons had been developed more weapons meant more power and with more power came more influence the world could only watch on as the two superpowers gained the power to annihilate thousands if not millions of lives in the blink of an [Music] eye as President Kennedy stepped into the White House he was acutely aware that his success would hinge on his ability to keep communism at Bay whatever it would take to everyone's surprise not least the Soviet Union the Kennedy administration adopted Hardline anti-communist foreign policies within months of being in office the real issue facing the American people is how it's going to be possible for us to rebuild our strength and the strength of the Free World relative to that of the Soviets so that future negotiations could be fruitful talking tough does not conceal the lack of long range planning and military strength like his predecessors Kennedy adopted the policy of containment which sought to stop the spread of Communism as a substitute for the policy of strength President Eisenhower has tried smiling at the Russians the state department frowns Mr Nixon has done both and none of these policies has succeeded so I hope we will abandon the useless discussion of who can best stand up to kusam he ordered a huge buildup of America's nuclear Arsenal to establish superiority over the Soviet Union the number of US nuclear weapons increased by 50% as did the number of B-52 bombers to deliver them for Kennedy the economic cost associated with this type of military spending was not an issue especially when the reward Bo was peace Thomas Jefferson once said the disease of Liberty is catching and we believe it's going to catch behind the Iron Curtain we believe these people are going to be free and we think that as long as the United States maintains this position then the Hope For Freedom for these people behind the Iron Curtain now held captive will continue with so much fear and paranoia in America about the growing threat of Communism Kennedy's policy decision ultimately increased his approval rating amongst the public but further toward the East his Soviet counterpart in the Kremlin didn't think so highly of [Music] him compared to the newly inaugurated Kennedy Nikita kushu the leader of the Soviet Union was a cold war veteran he had risen through the ranks of the Communist Party during the regime of Joseph Stalin becoming a key player in the Inner Circle at the Kremlin after the death of Stalin in 1953 triggered a power struggle among the top ranking Soviets KF successfully conspired his way to the position of Premier with Rivals either exiled or eliminated he wielded an influence akin to the days of Stalin the new Soviet Premiere enjoyed strong support during the 1950s thanks to Major victories like the Suz crisis the launching of Sputnik and the Syrian crisis of 1957 as Kennedy assumed the presidency in 1960 kushev found himself secretly pleased but not due to any personal affinity for his American counterpart instead he predicted that the inexperienced Kennedy might prove pliable on the international stage however K's expectations were met with surprise as the new president displayed toughness in both rhetoric and action in the early days of his administration for Kennedy these policies were not merely posturing they were necessary for the safety of the people he now led as the threat of Communism was edging closer to America than ever [Music] before less than 100 miles off the southern coast of Florida the island of Cuba was proving to be a sharp thorn in America's side following the Exile of Cuban dictator feno Batista Batista though deeply unpopular in Cuba had enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the United States receiving extensive Financial military and logistical support throughout his tumultuous presidency in return Batista granted the US an influential foothold in Cuba with a significant share of the nation's sugar industry and the majority of its arable land falling under American control however discontent among the Cuban people swelled as Batista's repressive regime prioritized profit over their well-being by 1956 more widespread resistance took place with socialist revolutions and rebellions against the government appearing across the [Music] island it took three years for revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro to seize power forcing Batista to flee in Exile outside Havana's presidential Palace hundreds of thousands rally at the call of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro who estimated their number at a million most of the throng wears the colors of Castro's 26th of July Movement they are in an exultant mood as the man who overthrew the Batista dictatorship calls on them to approve the public trials and executions of pro Batista figures guilty of war crimes and atrocities the executions some 250 to date have been widely criticized by many as too hasty and summary even if Justified says Castro the Cuban revolutionary government has no reason to offer explanations to America or to anyone except the people of Cuba and overnight the relationship between the USA and Cuba changed forever with Batista gone Castro was sworn in as prime minister in February 1959 socialist ideas that had spread throughout the revolution became the Catalyst for Cuba to fully Embrace Marxism by the end of 1960 soon enough Castro had begun a accepting aid from the USSR Cuba was now becoming an island of Soviet influence within the vicinity of America Kennedy was committed to doing something both for the safety of America and to save face luckily for the new president a secret plan to OU Castro had already been set in motion long before he stepped into the White House in March 1960 8 months before President Kennedy assumed office his predecessor President Eisenhower had green lit a CIA plan to topple Castro's regime this covert operation hinged on training anti-castro Cuban Exiles into a paramilitary force that would then invade the Communist Island the success of the invasion would allow the US to establish a non-communist government in Cuba this in turn would become a crucial Cold War Ally CIA intelligence predicted strong Cuban support for The Invasion with hopes it would trigger a new Revolution against Castro Kennedy who was briefed on the plan before his inauguration embraced it 3 months into his presidency the invasion was set in motion under the cover of night on the 17th of April 1961 The Invasion Force landed at the Bay of Pigs a beach on the south of the island in a supposedly covert assault but from the outset they faced an intense onslaught the Cuban military was not caught off guard they knew an invasion was coming Cuban planes Unleashed Fury sinking escort ships and decimating half of the Exiles air support unfavorable weather compounded the chaos rendering the ground force with Soden equipment and inadequate ammunition the enemy was confused he had thought that our defense would crumble under the very first attack he did not expect all the Cuban people to rise against him and those who stood behind the scenes and supported this shameful aggression made a mistake in their Reckoning over the next Relentless 24 hours Castro ordered 20,000 troops to advance on the beach whilst the Cuban Air Force maintained their control over the Exile [Music] Force The Invasion soon crumbled hundreds died and the survivors were imprisoned on the island for Kennedy it was an unmitigated disaster the failed Invasion made him wary of the CIA and he emerged with a distrust of the permanent government foreign policy agencies more critically in Cuba Castro was elevated to national hero status and propelled the island deeper in into the Soviet Union's [Music] embrace the repercussions were profound leaving Kennedy grappling with a Cuban nightmare that had only just begun following the defeat in Cuba Kennedy met with kusf at the Vienna Summit in June tension was high as the two leaders met face to face for the first time they predictably found themselves at odds over such issues as the status of Cuba the war in LA and the division of Berlin little progress was made and Kennedy found himself leaving Vienna with more problems than when he arrived just two months later the construction of the Berlin Wall started becoming a lasting Legacy of the failed Summit meanwhile The Fragile truce in the nuclear arms race was about to shatter too the moratorium on nuclear tests in place since 1958 came to an end in October 1961 both superpowers in a resumption of Cold War hostilities Began conducting nuclear tests again [Music] the Soviet Union in a show of immense Force detonated their SAR B 58 megatons of power were Unleashed in the blink of an eye it was an unprecedented display of destructive power 5,000 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 kusf was flexing his nuclear muscles with weapons more powerful than ever and relations between the USA and the Soviet Union at an all-time low the Cold War had entered a new and dangerous [Music] phase with the reignition of the nuclear arms race came a year of Relentless nuclear weapons testing for all the wrong reasons 1962 went down in history with both superpowers testing more nuclear weapons than ever [Music] before with the threat of the Soviet Union increasing the USA took major steps to call the spread of Communism into the West in February with Cuba now just an extension of the Soviet Union the Kennedy administration decided to sanction a total trade embargo on the island with the US and Cuba now totally divided both ideologically and economically Castro's Republic fell into the arms of kusf the Cuban leader had a strong expectation that the US would invade Cuba again and appeal to the Soviet for more Military [Music] Support in early 1962 a group of Soviet military and missile construction Specialists traveled in secret to Cuba and met with Castro they went to the Cuban leader with an offer he couldn't refuse a fleet of nuclear weapons to help secure his Island from outside aggression soon enough the First Consignment of missiles arrived in September all under the guise of aid from the Soviet [Music] Union by the summer intelligence was reaching analysts in the US government of weapon sites being built up in Cuba reports of trucks carrying large unknown cylindrical objects traveling in the dead of night across the island were concerning by October with no physical evidence to prove it the US government decided to conduct a top secret reconnaissance mission of their own on the night of the 14th U2 spy planes were sent to photograph key locations in Cuba where weapon sites had been reported when the pilots returned to the US Mainland little did they know that the evidence they gathered would change the course of the world forever on the morning of the 16th of October with the photographs reviewed and clarified by the cia's national photographic interpretation Center Kennedy was presented with the findings [Music] in front of the president were the photographs he dreaded nuclear weapon sites under construction in [Music] Cuba the US had been face Toof face with nuclear threats before but none this close to home analysis of the missiles and other weapons indicated they were Soviet in origin the Soviet Union now had the capability to strike the US Mainland at the push of a button for Kennedy this was a direct threat from kushev the president secretly convened an emergency meeting of his senior military political and diplomatic advisers to discuss the ominous development the executive committee team known as XCOM included key Kennedy allies his brother and Attorney General Robert F Kennedy vice president Lyndon B Johnson Secretary of State Dean Rusk Secretary of Defense Robert mcamera and National Security adviser MC George Bundy these were people Kennedy knew he could [Music] trust for the members of excom the next few days would be critical for coming up with a suitable response to the crisis up until now the US had no plan in place for the events they were currently facing Kennedy and his advisers were treading new Dangerous Ground to avoid any suspicion of the growing geopolitical turmoil the president kept to his usual schedule daily off- the reccord XCOM meetings became commonplace where they spent hours discussing several possible courses of action over the growing Cuban crisis from simple diplomacy to an allout invasion every option of retaliation was laid out on the table for the public life went on as usual unbeknownst to them the threat of World War II was closer than ever debate and arguments over what to do continued for days and by the 21st of October XCOM were down to two remaining options an air strike or a naval blockade of Cuba The Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously agreed that the air strike was the only solution they believed that the Soviets would not attempt to stop the USA from conquering Cuba owing to past intelligence failures and lack of trust between the president and his foreign policy agencies Kennedy was skeptical primarily he had been informed that there was a chance that air strikes wouldn't take out all the missiles more critically however if the air strikes took out an operational nuclear missile innocent Cuban civilans would ultimately pay the biggest cost on the side of the argument the term blockade was problematic as according to international law a blockade is an act of War instead the administration worked on a solution naming it as a quarantine if nothing other than military weapons were stopped from being imported or exported from Cuba it was argued it wouldn't fit the definition of blockade Kennedy's closest advisers were more in favor of the quarantine than an air strike both risked inflaming the Soviet Union but only one would be an act of War Kennedy's skepticism of the effectiveness of an air strike coupled with his growing distrust of his intelligence officials pushed him more in favor of the quarantine after hours of deliberation excom made its final decision to quarantine Cuba and began the process of informing the rest of the world of the plan crisis the word suddenly Springs alive ominously in the newspapers Across America on Monday afternoon October 22nd headlines alert millions of Americans to an air of unusual activity and tension in Washington at 7 p.m. the following day following back-to-back meetings and phone calls with ex-presidents Allied leaders and Senior government officials canid delivered a nationwide televised address announcing the discovery of the missiles good evening my fellow citizens this government as promised has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba within the past week unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned Island the purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere upon receiving the first preliminary hard information of this nature last Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. I directed that our surveillance be stepped up and having now confirmed and completed our evaluation of the evidence and our decision on a course of action this government feels obliged to report this new crisis to you in fullest detail to Halt this offensive buildup a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated All Ships of any kind Bound for Cuba from whatever Nation or Port will they're found to contain cargos of offensive weapons be turned back this quarantine will be extended if needed to other types of cargo and carriers during the speech a directive went out to all US forces worldwide placing them on Defcon 3 this put parts of the military including the Air Force on 15minute [Music] standbys the following day the quarantine of Cuba [Music] began by October 24th Soviet military cargo ships and route to Cuba appeared to have slowed down altered or reversed their course as they approached the quarantine with the exception of one ship the tanker Bucharest the Navy attempted to intercept the Soviet tanker as it crossed over the US quarantine of Cuba the Soviet ship failed to cooperate but the Navy restrained itself from forcibly seizing the ship at the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the US military forces took one step closer to war changing the military alert to Defcon 2 placing the whole of the US Armed Forces on immediate standby now just one wrong foot threat or miscommunication could tip the world into a war that nobody [Music] wanted the following day proved to be the crisis point in the Cuban standoff on the quarantined lines surrounding Cuba a us surface ship dropped depth charges to warn an approaching Soviet submarine nearly proved to be the beginning of the end unbeknownst to the US Navy the submarine was armed with nuclear tipped torpedos the submarine's naval officer initially approved the use of their Torpedoes against the US surface ships as they believed the war had broken out owing to the bombs being dropped with communication cut off to Moscow the submarine was not able to confirm or deny their suspicions continuing the process of launching the nuclear weapons fortunately a more senior officer who had coincidentally been conducting an inspection that day overruled his Junior officer a decision which ultimately saved the world to add to the mention that was mounting across the world a U2 spy plane strayed over Soviet airspace nearly causing the Soviets to believe it might have been the Vanguard of the US aerial bombardment fortunately the miscommunication was dealt with swiftly later that day and most significantly another U2 spy plane was shot down whilst flying over Cuban airspace [Music] the pilot major Rudolph Anderson died Anderson's death had the potential to escalate the crisis significantly members of XCOM The Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior advisers pushed Kennedy to react with Force but for Kennedy Anderson's death instead crystallized his realization that the crisis was rapidly spiraling out of their control kusf too felt he was losing his grip on the crisis with neither wanting to be responsible for instigating World War I Anderson's death was a necessary jolt to both leaders not towards War but towards peace [Music] that night the president dispatched his brother Robert to meet with the Soviet Ambassador and offer a top secret deal to peacefully end the standoff the Soviets agreed to remove their nuclear missiles from Cuba while the Americans pledged to withdraw intermediate nuclear missiles from turkey and not invade [Music] Cuba the tensest moments of the Cuban Missile Crisis had ended with major Anderson the only combat casualty in a stand off that had the real possibility of killing [Music] Millions the world woke up on the 28th with confirmation of the truce publicly the deal made between the two superpowers outlined that the Soviets would dismantle the weapons rights in exchange for a pledge from the United States not to invade Cuba finally some semblance of Peace was restored and the most dangerous era in our modern history had come to an end for 13 days in October 1962 as the Doomsday Clock ticked closer to midnight the world Stood Still on the edge of Destruction but when war was averted the Cuban Missile Crisis went down in history as the Catalyst for a new type of relationship between the two superpowers one that wasn't dictated by conflict and division the two would never become allies but there would for some time be a mutual sense of humanity and when Kennedy spoke at American University in Washington DC less than a year after that fateful Fortnight in October he laid out his new vision for the future it was a vision that ripped up the old rule book of the Cold War one that finally put the maintenance of world peace ahead of the manufacturing of power there are few Earthly things more beautiful than a university wrote John Mayfield in his rute to English universities and his words are equally true today he admired The Splendid beauty of a university because it was he said a place where those who hate ignorance May strive to know where those who perceive Truth May strive to make others see I have therefore chosen this time and place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth too rarely perceived and that is the most important topic on Earth peace what kind of a peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek not a Pax Americana enforced On The World by American weapons of war not the Peace of the Grave or the security of the slave I am talking about genuine people peace the kind of peace that makes life on Earth worth living the the kind that enables men and Nations to grow and to Hope and build a better life for their children not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women not merely peace in our time but peace in all time thank you [Music]