PEOPLE

Lyndon B. Johnson

. Democratic President of the United States, 1963-1969

. John F. Kennedy's Vice President, took office after assassination, then won full term of his own in 1964 elections

. Escalated American involvement in Vietnam War

. Enacted sweeping domestic reforms, but presidency ruined by disaster in Vietnam

John F. Kennedy

. Democratic President of the United States, 1961-63

. Won election on strong Cold War platform, promising to close nonexistent "missile gap" with Soviets

. Ordered failed Bay of Pigs invasion against Castro's Cuba, then performed much better in leading U.S. through Cuban Missile Crisis

. Oversaw early stages of Vietnam War, but his future policy on Vietnam was unclear at time of his assassination in 1963

Henry Kissinger

. Powerful National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford

. Shaped virtually all of Nixon's foreign policy decisions, including strategy of détente

. Organized Nixon's groundbreaking visit to China, helped reduce Cold War tensions in 1970s

Robert S. McNamara

. Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson

. Prime architect of Vietnam War, heavily criticized by antiwar activists

. Also helped guide Kennedy through Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962

. Eventually lost faith in his own Vietnam policy and either quit or was fired from Johnson Administration

Richard M. Nixon

. Republican President of the United States, 1969-74

.

Cram Sheet

Cold War, Chapter 2

Resigned in disgrace in wake of Watergate scandal, 1974

. Strong anticommunist throughout his career, but adopted more flexible approach as President

. At Kissinger's urging, pursued détente with U.S.S.R. and opened diplomatic relations with China

Nikita Khrushchev

. Soviet leader following Stalin's death, 1953

. Initially more open to dialogue with West and within Soviet sphere

. Denounced Stalin's crimes in secret speech to Soviet leadership, 1956

. Adopted a harder line against West after 1960; led Soviet Union during Cuban Missile Crisis

Mao Zedong

. Leader of Chinese Communists, defeated Nationalists in Civil War in 1949; ruled Red China until his death in 1976

. Ordered Chinese troops to intervene against Americans in Korean War

. Called atom bomb "paper tiger" or meaningless threat in early 1950s

. Established friendly relations with Richard Nixon in 1970s

Alexander Dubcek

. Reformist leader of Czechoslovakia's Communist Party during "Prague Spring"

. Desired "socialism with a human face," a type of Communism that allowed greater individual freedom

. Removed from power through Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968

EVENTS

1959 Castro's Revolution in Cuba

. Leftist guerillas led by young Fidel Castro toppled autocratic, pro-American government in Cuba

. Castro did not take power as a Communist, but as relations with U.S. soured, he soon established alliance with U.S.S.R.

1961 Bay of Pigs Disaster

. President Kennedy authorized invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro exiles

. Invasion ended in disastrous failure, undermining Kennedy at home and abroad

. Made Soviet leader Khrushchev believe Kennedy was weak and inexperienced and could be bullied

1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

. U.S. discovered Soviet installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba

. Americans "quarantined" (blockaded) island, demanded withdrawal of missiles

. After 13 days of intense negotiations, Soviet missiles were withdrawn in exchange for U.S. removal of missiles in Turkey and pledged never to invade Cuba again

. American people, not informed of agreement, believed that Kennedy had won through hard line and not negotiation

. Closest world ever came to nuclear annihilation

1964 Gulf of Tokin Incident

. U.S. Navy ship allegedly attacked near North Vietnamese waters

. It remains unclear whether there was any actual attack or whether it was a false alarm

. Used as pretext to justify congressional resolution authorizing full-blown intervention of American ground troops in Vietnam

1968 Prague Spring

. Dubcek proposed "socialism with a human face", encouraging greater freedoms for citizens

. Ruthlessly crushed by Soviets

. Soviets adopted Brezhnev Doctrine, dictating that no socialist state would be allowed to liberalize institutions or U.S.S.R. would intervene with force

1969 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

(SALT) Negotiations Begin

. Nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by U.S. and U.S.S.R. in 1972

. Limited number of ballistic missiles held by either side at current levels

. Marked formal beginning of détente

1972 Nixon Goes to China

. Ends 23-year-old policy of American non-recognition of Red China

. Establishment of relations with U.S. drove wedge further between U.S.S.R. and China, dividing Communist world into two camps

GROUPS

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

. Oil cartel, originally composed of Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela

. Attempted to coordinate oil production and pricing

. Imposed oil boycott on U.S. In wake of 1973 Yom Kippur War in Israel

. Demonstrated American reliance on foreign oil, potential problems dealing with Third World

CONCEPTS

Détente

. Policy of relaxation of tensions between U.S. and U.S.S.R.

. Pursued by Kissinger, détente began with SALT I treaty, peaked in 1975

. Dominated "middle period" of Cold War, following tense early 1960s and preceding tense early 1980s

Brinksmanship

. Practice of pushing conflict to brink of disaster in order to force opponent to relent

. Practiced by Cold War leaders in Washington and Moscow in Cuban Missile Crisis, Berlin Airlift

Mutual Assured Destruction

. Concept that the best deterrent against nuclear war was the guarantee that a nation that launched a first strike would be destroyed by enemy's nuclear retaliation; thus any launch was completely irrational

. Concept developed by McNamara

. Weakness was that policymaking during international crises wasn't always rational

PLACES

Bay of Pigs, Cuba

. Site of failed invasion by American-backed exiles hoping to topple Castro's regime in Cuba, 1961

Prague, Czechoslovakia

. Czech capital was site of 1968 "Prague Spring," an effort to reform Communism to allow greater individual freedoms

. Reform movement ended with crushing Soviet military invasion of city