Kruschev realize he'd previously underestimated Kennedy.
Kennedy was a weakling when he met Kruschev in Europe the first time. He did not handle his meeting with him well. This has been pretty well documented.
Kruschev came out of that meeting convinced that he had Kennedy's measure, and that was the reason he went ahead with the missiles in Cuba.
Remember when you read about "The Missiles of October", that the Kennedy brothers were the only ones who knew the XCOM meetings were being taped. So we get a very self serving viewpoint from books done on those tapes.
Kruschev wanted the Jupiter missiles out of Turkey, and a guarantee that Castro would be left alone. He got what he wanted.
JFK was a classic "little rich boy," used to getting what he wanted with no effort, and not having to face up to reality. You are right that his image has been burnished by his people and the press, who loved him. I voted for the guy, and was really torn up when he was killed. My opinion of him has changed since.
I think all of this speculation about what he would have done in Vietnam, if he had lived, is wishful thinking. He would not have pulled out of there,IMO, especially with the Catholic connection.
Remember, the leadership of South Vietnam was strongly Catholic, and the "Christian vs Atheist" part of the situation was a big factor. Our initial involvement there was to a large part caused by the Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, who had a Missionary background.
Our whole approach to Asia is colored by the Missionaries. They were the people who came back and lectured in the Churches around this country about Asia, and their sons spoke Chinese and became very active in our Government, especially at State. |
