President John F. Kennedy: Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Source:JFK Library- President John F. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) and some of his generals during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

“President John F. Kennedy stands with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the West Wing Colonnade of the White House, Washington, D.C. Left to right: Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Curtis E. LeMay; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Lyman L. Lemnitzer; President Kennedy; Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General George H. Decker; Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr.; Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, General David M. Shoup.”

From the JFK Library

“October 19, 1962: The president met with the Joint Chiefs to reveal, not to consult about, his decision to begin with a naval blockade around Cuba rather than bombing and/or invasion. If the U.S. attacked the island, he explained patiently, it would give the Soviets “a clear line to take Berlin.” The U.S. would then be regarded by the NATO allies, since “they think we’ve got this fixation about Cuba anyway,” as “the Americans who lost Berlin. . . . [because] we didn’t have the guts to endure a situation in Cuba. After all, Cuba is five or six thousand miles from them. They don’t give a damn about Cuba. But they do care about Berlin and about their own security. . . . I must say, I think it’s a very satisfactory position from their point of view.” A quick air strike might neutralize the missiles, but if the Soviets take Berlin in response, that “leaves me only one alternative, which is to fire nuclear weapons—which is a hell of an alternative.”

Source:History News Network- President John F. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) and some of his generals during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

From the History News Network 

"It was the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the nation was supposed to be pulling together.

But John F Kennedy’s top generals were actually bad-mouthing him behind his back - whilst standing in the White House.

When the former US President left the room Marine Corps Commandant General David Shoup said that Mr Kennedy was doing things ‘piecemeal’ and needed a talking to." 

Source: Daily Mail- President JFK & The NSC.

From the Daily Mail

It’s clear that the generals on President John F. Kennedy’s National Security Council didn’t respect him much as President. They saw him as a kid from the Ivy League, who represented a new school and generation of thinking, who weren’t stuck in the 1920s culturally and politically as far as what it meant to be a patriotic American.

With crisis’s comes opportunities for people to prove themselves and show the doubters that they’re serious, capable people who can step up to any challenge and show people how to lead. Which is exactly what happened with President John F. Kennedy during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Russia and Cuba (both Communist States) underestimated President Kennedy and thought they could walk over him, not expecting the President to be able to step up the the challenge and they were wrong. 

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