The Peace Corps: Kennedy's Secret Weapon

The Peace Corps: Kennedy’s Secret Weapon “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” are the infamous words spoken by President John F. Kennedy in his Inaugural Address. The Peace Corps was an organization where idealistic volunteers explored opportunities to go abroad and help those in need. It was formed during the Cold War by President John F. Kennedy to promote world peace and friendship through the exchange of cultural ideas and technology, which strengthened bonds between the United States and developing nations. These positive relations made it easier for more peaceful, friendly encounter, which was part of President Kennedy’s strategy to win the Cold War. Although President Kennedy is often honorably credited for creating the Peace Corps during his presidency, Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota is just as significant, for he had set the idea that would soon change America. Humphrey was the first to introduce a bill in 1957 that called for an organization to help the Third

For example, nurses with the Peace Corps would treat those in need of help in a developing country, and would additionally train the other health workers in that country. Naturally, the exchanges made during missions were not only skills or resources, but also experiences and ways of thinking. For example, one nurse writes, “Perhaps I learned by mistake and example, realizing after, instead of before, maybe I became accustomed to India, maybe I grew up a little, maybe I began to think more of others than myself; perhaps I began to realize India’s need more than my own.” (“Letters from Nurses in the Peace Corps”). The Peace Corps were able to exchange the tangible and intangible, such as American ideas that could have influenced a country in their decision to become an ally of the U.S. during the Cold