Changes

The declassification and release in the 1980s of secret communications during the Cuban Missile Crisis shows that President Kennedy was willing to "blink" by trading the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey if the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba.<ref>http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/annals.htm</ref>  That deal remained a secret from most Americans, however, and contributed to the myth of Kennedy being a strong president who stood up for the United States.

The declassification and release in the 1980s of secret communications during the Cuban Missile Crisis shows that President Kennedy was willing to "blink" by trading the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey if the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba.<ref>http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/annals.htm</ref>  That deal remained a secret from most Americans, however, and contributed to the myth of Kennedy being a strong president who stood up for the United States.

[[Image:Kennedygryomykont8.jpg|right|thumb|325px|President Kennedy meeting with Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko at the White House.]]

[[Image:Kennedygryomykont8.jpg|right|thumb|325px|President Kennedy meeting with Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko at the White House.]]

==Origins==

==Origins==

Frustrated by the rearmament of West Germany and the success of NATO, the Kremlin concocted a new strategy in the early 1960s in its quest to help capitalism self-destruct: encourage civil wars of "[[National liberation movement|national liberation]]" in the third world. The Communist logic, following [[Lenin]], was that the economic health of capitalism depended on its exploitation of the wealth of the [[Third World]]. Without that exploitation capitalism would finally collapse. Russia would give military and diplomatic support to anti-colonial, anti-capitalist pro- Communist movements. The new slogan of the left across the globe was that America—run by and for the benefit of giant corporations—had succeeded [[fascism]] as most dangerous agent of [[imperialism]]. [[Moscow]]'s differences with [[Beijing]] on Marxist theory meant that it had to compete for influence among [[leftist]]s: the winner would be the one seen as more anti-American. Third world proxy operations appeared to be much cheaper and safer than direct confrontation with [[NATO]].

Frustrated by the rearmament of [[West Germany]] and the success of [[NATO]], the Kremlin concocted a new strategy in the early 1960s in its quest to help capitalism self-destruct: encourage civil wars of "[[National liberation movement|national liberation]]" in the third world. The Communist logic, following [[Lenin]], was that the economic health of capitalism depended on its exploitation of the wealth of the [[Third World]]. Without that exploitation capitalism would finally collapse. Russia would give military and diplomatic support to anti-colonial, anti-capitalist pro- Communist movements. The new slogan of the left across the globe was that America—run by and for the benefit of giant corporations—had succeeded [[fascism]] as most dangerous agent of [[imperialism]]. [[Moscow]]'s differences with [[Beijing]] on Marxist theory meant that it had to compete for influence among [[leftist]]s: the winner would be the one seen as more anti-American. Third world proxy operations appeared to be much cheaper and safer than direct confrontation with [[NATO]].

In June 1961 Khrushchev and Kennedy met [[Vienna]]. Reporter James Reston of the ''[[New York Times]]'' wrote "Kennedy went there shortly after his spectacular blunders at the [[Bay of Pigs]], and was savaged by Khrushchev....I had an hour alone with President Kennedy immediately after his last meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna at that time," Reston reported. Khrushchev had assumed, Kennedy said, that any American President who invaded Cuba without adequate preparation was inexperienced, and any president who then didn't use force to see the invasion through was weak. Kennedy admitted Khrushchev's logic on both points.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/187067191/</ref>

In June 1961 Khrushchev and Kennedy met [[Vienna]]. Reporter James Reston of the ''[[New York Times]]'' wrote "Kennedy went there shortly after his spectacular blunders at the [[Bay of Pigs]], and was savaged by Khrushchev....I had an hour alone with President Kennedy immediately after his last meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna at that time," Reston reported. Khrushchev had assumed, Kennedy said, that any American President who invaded Cuba without adequate preparation was inexperienced, and any president who then didn't use force to see the invasion through was weak. Kennedy admitted Khrushchev's logic on both points.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/187067191/</ref>