|
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
maintained that stance and gained visibility and in some people s eyes, notoriety during his two terms as vice president. Kennedy, the Democrat, had also been careful to create a strong anticommunist resume during his time in the Senate. Like others of his party, he took pains to make sure that he would not be perceived as soft on communism. The campaign was fiercely fought on both sides. In the fall, presidential candidates debated on live television for the first time.1 Kennedy, with his Hollywood good looks and a natural ease in front of the cameras, came across to many viewers as a polished and confident man. He seemed the picture of vitality and youth in government. Nixon, by contrast, looked uncomfortable and made a less appealing television figure. (This appearance was amplified 44 Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics by Nixon s determination that he, unlike Kennedy, would not use television make-up under the hot studio lights.) The fact that Kennedy was Catholic was an issue for many voters. Some peo- ple feared that the candidate would have conflicting loyalties and his detractors suggested that Rome might exercise an influence perhaps hidden on his actions. Mindful of public perceptions about this and other perceived liabil- ities, however, the Democratic Party shored up its candidate. The selection of Lyndon Johnson, the masterful Texan politician, as Kennedy s running mate neutralized some of the opposition. The Texan s appearance on the ticket with Kennedy seemed to make a difference and in a close election the Kennedy-Johnson campaign was victorious. The brief presidency of John F. Kennedy exuded an aura of youthful vitality. This feeling was made more pronounced by Kennedy s appointment of many Washington outsiders. They were heralded as a new crop of America s best and brightest. In the course of Kennedy s presidency, the spirit of what was called a New Frontier could be found in many progressive programs. (These included innovations such as the Peace Corps, a partial treaty to limit nuclear testing, the race to the moon, among others.) Although the perils of the Cold War remained, Americans sensed possibilities for a brighter future, aided by technology and the new generation that was beginning to step to the foreground. Such feelings may have been premature, however. In many ways, it was a time of contradictions. Kennedy was in office for only a few months when the Cuban situation boiled over. The story of this new crisis began before the new president had taken office. Under Eisenhower s watch, the CIA had secretly planned an operation to overthrow the Castro regime, which by then was recognized as an unfriendly neighbor with intentions harmful to the United States. The plans were not ready until after Eisenhower left office. Although he had not initiated it, Kennedy gave approval for the plan to be implemented. That mission, which involved sending a contingent of armed Cuban expatriates back to the island, was the Bay of Pigs operation. It was put into action in April 1961. Despite CIA planning, however, things went badly. It presented the United States with another embarrassing situation and, in many ways, one that was deeply humiliating. With this debacle, it seemed that the interests of the powerful U.S. government had been thwarted by the tiny Caribbean nation. At the same time, it clarified for the Cuban leadership that the United States might be willing to take extraordinary steps to bring down the Castro regime. Despite such crises, Kennedy was largely successful in promoting an op- timistic vision for the future. His administration, and the energetic people around it, quickly captured the American imagination. But new perils continued to appear. Perhaps the most dangerous confronta- tion of the Cold War occurred in October 1962 in the incident known as the Cuban missile crisis. Of all the international situations of the early 1960s, Conspiracy in the New Frontier 45 few rivaled this incident in terms of the inherent danger for catastrophe.2 The well-known episode involved the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, bringing the nuclear threat ominously close to home for Americans. The missiles had been transported to the island nation on a Soviet cargo vessel and taken to a Cuban military base. Inexplicably, the missiles were unloaded from their transports and left lying on the ground in plain view, with their unmistakable shape and large identifying marks. American military officials could scarcely believe their eyes when photographs taken during a surveillance flight over the island clearly showed the grave new peril. Kennedy immediately demanded the removal of the weapons. Khrushchev refused, after which Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of the island. The standoff lasted for eleven days. Americans, and people around the world, feared for the worst. They steeled themselves for the nuclear conflict they had dreaded for more than a decade. The crisis was complex and there were many points at which it seemed that full-scale armed conflict was imminent.3 Yet, ultimately an arrangement was made that led the Soviets to withdraw the missiles. (Although not publicized at the time, the United States also removed some missiles from Turkey.) Already facing a power struggle within his regime, the incident dealt a political blow to Khrushchev, who was ousted from power shortly thereafter. HOLLYWOOD S VISIONS OF CONSPIRACY [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
Podobne
|