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How Did John F Kennedy Use Excessive Presidential Authority

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Excessive Presidential Authority during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a pivotal moment in history, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. President John F. Kennedy’s handling of the crisis has been both lauded for averting catastrophe and criticized for the extent of authority he wielded. Analyzing his decisions during the crisis reveals a concerning concentration of power in the hands of the President, raising questions about the implications for American democracy. Through his unilateral decision-making, frequent overruling of military and diplomatic advisors, and the use of backchannel communications, Kennedy exemplified the dangers of excessive presidential authority. One of the most striking examples of Kennedy's use of authority …show more content…

The President, however, wanted to explore every possible means of resolving the crisis peacefully." While JFK’s caution may have prevented war, his tendency to sideline expert advice underscores the risks of centralizing authority in the presidency. Robert F. Kennedy further elaborates on this tension, stating, "There were strong pressures from many quarters for unilateral action by the United States, but the President resisted these pressures and kept the decision-making process under his control." This additional quote highlights JFK's determination to maintain control over the decision-making process, even in the face of significant external pressures, showcasing his firm belief in his own judgment. In conclusion, President John F. Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis exemplified a dangerous concentration of power within the executive branch. His unilateral decisions, use of backchannel communications, and frequent overruling of advisors highlight the potential for abuse of presidential authority. While his actions during the crisis may have averted a nuclear war, they also set a precedent for future

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Sheldon M. Stern’s book The Week the World Stood Still gave eye opening information into the secrets of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the ‘inner sanctum of the Kennedy administration during the Cuban Missile Crisis, arguing convincingly that Kennedy acted with great caution during one of the great showdowns of the cold war.’ Sheldon strongly believed that JFK had made the correct decisions while he was in the risky situation including Cuba and their missiles. Writing the book was easy for Sheldon, as he was a historian at the John F. Kennedy library. He had access to the recordings that Kennedy had taken many years ago.

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The article focus on recently declassified John F. Kennedy secrets contained in documents and tape records, painting a portrait of a “cunning and cagey” man. JFK is still fascinating Americans regardless their political orientation. Thus, these new revelations reopen a debate never ended. The historian Timothy Naftali has attempted to give a new perspective to the several unanswered questions, depicting a JFK “far more interesting intellectually and far less appealing personally” than his family would have us believe. For instance, from 1961 through the Cuban missile crisis, JFK with the help of his brother Robert decided to pursue negotiations against the advice of his cabinet.

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Did JFK use his presidential powers to make the correct decision during the Cuban missile crisis? I believe John F. Kennedy used his powers correctly in order to help him make the right decision. He used his powers to make decisions to keep the situation from escalating. He knew when to call off a decision and when to follow through with it.

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Kennedy chose the path of safer alternatives - diplomacy over the use of clandestine and lethal operations (Davis, 2006). While Kennedy had asked his Joint Chiefs for options to counter the growing perceived threat from Cuba, there were no indications Kennedy took Lemnitzer 's options too

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He has been described as ‘reluctant’, ‘intimidated by congress’ and with ‘moral passion missing’ as King once said. His fear of congress did limit his moves when acting for Civil Rights as it happened during the freedom rides and the sit-in protests of the early 1960’s. Many also argue that the Civil rights ‘was not his top priority’, ‘He was busy with many other issues, especially foreign affairs, that he didn't give it the kind of energy and attention that we might wish in retrospect,’ argues Barrett, who studies the Kennedy Administration. The President did not exert his power in domestic affairs, nor made efforts to influence congress , as Johnson did later on. His major concerns were the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam and communist containment, nothing domestic

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Throughout our history, nation leaders have controlled major decisions regarding war, battles, political and economic decisions, even leading up to mere propaganda posts. JFK and Nikita Khrushchev, both strong leaders with strong personalities led the Cuban missile crisis, leading to the problem ending with both parties taking away their resources. The personalities of these leaders had affected the outcome of the Cuban missile crisis, as they are very different leaders, with different reputations to uphold as well, so they had to respond varyingly. Kennedy was said to be one of the strongest leaders that America has seen, he was courageous and a great leader, he didn’t let anyone get him down as this quote says, “Kennedy’s personal courage was indisputable, whether it was revealed in wartime bravery, stoic disregard for physical suffering, or….”(Gow 17).

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Kennedy's presidential action must not fail to recognize a series of circumstances: his status

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Kennedy’s speech was influential because of the three main aspects were executed so successfully. He informed them about what the missiles were like, what they were capable of, and the steps America and several other countries would take in retaliation to the nuclear weapons in Cuba. He conveyed pathos through his words of compassion towards the Cuban captives and feeling for their pain. He asserted his feelings of confidence of the United States and his firmness of not backing down; the country would go to war if they must. Structure was punctualized by having three main topics, all paragraphs are the same length, with the exception of three small

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A combination of doctrines and emotions – belief in permanent and universal crisis, fear of communism, faith in the duty and right of the United States to intervene swiftly in every part of the world – had brought about an unprecedented centralization of decisions over war and peace in the presidency. ”(Schlesinger 208). Playing to the constant fear of communism emerging after World War II, presidents have used that as enough of a justification to send our troops away. Surpassing congress by saying we were in imminent danger and essentially, what

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Kennedy’s speech also talks about the balance of personal integrity and professional responsibility. JFK’s ability to balance his responsibility as president and his personal integrity as catholic has allowed him to be a successful leader. “Whatever issue may come before me as president- on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling, or any other subject- I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise”(JFK). JFK made decisions based on what is best for the nation and not on his personal opinions on the matter.

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In recent years there has been debate on whether or not the president has too much power. The president 's power has increased over the years, I believe that this increase has given the president way too much power. The amount of power that the president has, can cause total destruction and can manipulate people into doing things that they do not actually believe in. A president should not have some of the powers that he possess, but they are given to him simply because he is the leader of the country. In my opinion the president should be allowed certain powers in order to run the country properly, he is also the leader of the country which grants him the right to have certain powers according to the constitution.

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Disaster Averted Can anyone imagine waking up every morning for two weeks not knowing if the world you knew before it is still standing, or if thousands of lives have just banished with the click of a button somewhere in your nation? This was John F. Kennedy’s reality during the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Kennedy gave the speech Cuban Missile Crisis Address, from his office, to be televised and transmitted through radio by thousands of American citizens, Cuban people, and international leaders all over the globe. John F. Kennedy’s Cuban Missile Crisis address to the nation speech solidifies his legacy among the people of the United States of America because he is able to demonstrate his capacity to confront this issue, ease the American

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His diction is very inclusive; he commences his speech with several uses of the words ‘we’ and ‘our’, which makes way for inclusivity. JFK is blurring the distinction between citizen and superior governor by including the people in his proclamation. While describing the hardships and challenges that the country is facing, Kennedy mentions how imperative the occasion is on a global level; in the midst of the Cold War, he reminds his audience of the importance of uniting. Through the use of the lexical field of danger — words such as: ‘defiance’, ‘serious’, ‘risk’, and ‘sacrifice’ — he creates a feeling of tension and urgency, and engages his audience to the concern. To conclude his speech, the President mentions self-guilt on the part of the country on how they had not displayed the “sense of business responsibility” that they should have, a rhetorical strategy that approximates the audience to the government.

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Rhetorical analyst Omair Khan states that Kennedy “had an enormous level of credibility as well as the authority and experience that comes with being the president of the United States” which is true because as the president, he had a huge amount of good will and was to be believed to turn the circumstances around

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1847 Words | 8 Pages

Validity: This film is valid as it is an accurate description of the chain of events and decisions made during the event of the Cuban missile crisis and provides an inside view of the hard challenges and decisions that Kennedy had to overcome without resulting in a nuclear war. Reliability: This film is reliable as the chronologically accurate and describes day to day the challenges that were faced. This is also reliable as it is not a knock off film with similar events to the Cuban missile crisis but is an accurate description of the events that took place in

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