Flexible Responses During The Cold War

The Cold War Presidents Though America and The Soviet Union had an excess of 20,000 Warheads, each stronger than the last pointed at each other. The only bombs that were used were Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the rest was used for threats and tests (Bacon)(Segal 82). While all of the Cold War presidents dealt with Communism in different ways. Truman and Eisenhower had similar methods and policies. Kennedy however used different tactics. Truman and Eisenhower both used containment, the act of sending money and supplies to susceptible countries to prevent the soviet union from taking hold and growing, and economic aid, sending money and supplies to poor countries to jump start their economies. Kennedy, however used Military use, the sending of troops and having the country use them for defense and attacking threats, and Flexible response, instead of what previous people did this is taking action in your own way (more on that later), instead of Massive retaliation, the willingness to solve problems with nuclear force, all three presidents used

One of Kennedy’s greatest examples of Flexible response was during the Cuban missile crisis. When the soviets went past the blockade, Kennedy did not use the nuke button like most of his predecessors would, instead he decided to see what would happen (Bowes 1/20/17). Shortly after the boat crossed it turned right back around and sailed back home. If Kennedy would of taken action this little struggle would of made the soviets retaliate and end up destroying the world. Unlike Truman and Eisenhower, Kennedy focused on Military use one of the big examples is the naval blockade around Cuba. This was at the same time as the Cuban missile crisis. He blocked all entrances except one that was heavily guarded (Bowes 1/24/17). If Kennedy hadn’t blockaded Cuba the soviets could of gotten in and