John F. Kennedy on Homeland Security

Danger that security needs will expand to censorship

Invented "pre-emption doctrine" in Cuban Missile Crisis

Democratic presidents had justified American preemption when they felt it necessary to defend U.S. interests. President Kennedy expressed his version of a preemption doctrine in his Cuban Missile Crisis address on Oct. 22, 1962:

"We no longer live in a world where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation's security to constitute maximum peril. Nuclear weapons are so destructive and ballistic missiles are so swift that any substantially increased possibility of their use or any sudden change in their deployment may well be regarded as a definite threat to peace."

Bay of Pigs intended to liberate Cuba; ended as fiasco

To conceal American participation, the pilots in the first raids were to pretend to be defectors from Castro's air force. On the morning of April 15, the US attacked three Cuban air bases. The White House denied any knowledge of the events.

The invaders lost 114 men; Castro captured 1,189 along with a large cache of American weapons. As the full extent of American involvement in the debacle started to appear, his 3-month-old administration appeared to be in ruins.

Increase military spending to fight domino effect in SE Asia

1963: Test Ban Treaty: no nukes in space nor oceans

It took only twelve days to agree to a limited test-ban treaty. Article One pledged the parties not to carry out nuclear explosions in the prohibited environments and to refrain from abetting such explosions by others. Underground testing was permitted to continue.

Kennedy warmly and eloquently endorsed the agreement calling the treaty "an important first step--a step towards peace--as step towards reason--a step away from war."

Lone senator to take no position on McCarthy condemnation

Kennedy rallied, but on Dec. 2, 1954, the Senate closed the curtain of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, voting to condemn his for conduct that brought discredit on the Senate itself. While he would live 2 years longer, both his anti-Communist crusade & his political significance had ended. The lone senator who refused to take a public position on the condemnation vote was Kennedy of MA. It was a privilege of the sick that he relished in full. "Those reporters are going to lean over me with great concern, and every one of those guys is going to say, 'Now Senator, what about McCarthy?' Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to reach for my back and I'm just going to yell 'Oow!'"

Defense spending should not be limited by budget amount

Increased defense spending, but also increased efficiency

More air-lift; more submarines; more missiles

• l have directed prompt attention to increase our air-lift capacity.
• I have directed prompt action to step up our Polaris submarine program.
• I have directed prompt action to accelerate our entire missile program.

No atmospheric nuclear testing; push multilateral treaty

KENNEDY: I think the next president should make one last effort to secure an agreement on the cessation of tests. New breakthroughs in atomic energy technology indicate that by the time the next president's term of office has come to an end, there may be 10 or 20 countries with an atomic capacity, perhaps that many testing bombs with all the effect that it could have on the atmosphere and with more and more chance of war. So one more effort should be made. I don't think that even if that effort fails that it will be necessary to carry on tests in the atmosphere which pollute the atmosphere. They can be carried out underground.

NIXON: As a matter of fact, there's been a moratorium on testing as a result of the fact that we have been negotiating. I've reached the conclusion that the Soviets may be cheating. There should be no tests in the atmosphere.

Negotiate with USSR from a position of strength

NIXON: I would be willing as president to meet with Mr. Khrushchev or any other world leader if it would serve the cause of peace. I would not be willing to meet with him, however, unless there were preparations to [avoid the failure of the recent Berlin negotiations].

KENNEDY: I have no disagreement with the Vice President's position on that. I would add that before we go into the summit, it's important that the US build its military strength as well as its own economic strength. If we negotiate from a position where the power balance is moving away from us, it's extremely difficult to reach a successful decision on Berlin as well as the other questions. Our commitment to Berlin is going to be a test of our nerve and will. It's going to be a test of our strength. And partly because we have not maintained our strength with sufficient vigor in the last years, the next president should revitalize of our military strength.