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=The Cold War Continues= Many crises occurred during JFK's term in office. He instituted various programs to assist impoverished nations; he hoped that this would rid nations of the conditions conducive to a communist revolution. The USSR and the US had been in close competition to place a human in space. The USSR was the victor: Yuri Gagarin of the USSR was the first human to orbit the Earth. But the US was not far behind. July 16, 1969 saw two US astronauts on the moon.

Troubles with Cuba
After usurping the leadership of Cuba, Fidel Castro quickly established a relation with the Soviet Union. With Soviet associates so close, the US feared that the USSR would be able to better spread its influence. Under the then President Eisenhower, the CIA trained a group of Cuban Exiles, La Brigada, to invade the island and overthrow Castro. Under President Kennedy, the plan was executed on April 17, 1961; it was a complete failure. The boats of La Brigada ran aground, air support was canceled and there was no support from the Cuban people. The next crisis occurred one year later in 1962. Long range missiles had been photographed in Cuba by US spy planes. They were identified as Soviet and Soviet technicians had been observed in Cuba. In response Kennedy had a naval blockade arranged around Cuba. The entire world was tense as the crisis escalated; there was the possibility of nuclear warfare. The issue was resolved after secret meetings. The USSR agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba if, in return, the US agreed to remove its secret missiles in Turkey. Such concessions undermined the strength of the Soviet leadership and displayed the inferiority of Soviet military power. To compensate, the USSR began another massive arms buildup.

November 22, 1963, marked the death of a president. John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald (later assassinated by Jack Ruby), who some contend was part of a government conspiracy. The death of JFK left Lyndon B. Johnson as president.

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