Do you think Kennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis well?

Question: Do you think Kennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis well!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

There are several points:
1) There would have been no Cuban Missile Crisis ( nor a Berlin Wall ) had JFK not impressed Khruschev as a young, inexperienced wuss ( sound familiar!? ) at their early meeting in Vienna!. Khruschev thought that Kennedy would meekly accept both the Berlin Wall and nukes in Cuba!.
2) Kennedy handled it reasonably well, once the crisis started ( and given that he was responsible for it in the first place ) since there was no nuclear exchange and the world stayed in only a "cold" state of war!.
3) Kennedy actually gave up a great deal with all of the detail kept secret to preserve his political image!. Not only did he give up Jupiter missiles in Europe; more important he gave up any right to invade or destabilize Cuba essentially forever!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The CIA had given the President information that was incorrect!. There was no general uprising against Castro that greeted the Cuban invaders at the Bay of Pigs!. The Cuban regular army easily defeated the Cuban invaders who had been trained in America!. Kennedy provided no cover support for the invaders!. More examination of the situation may have led to better results!. "If" questions are difficult to answer because we cannot predict how people will act in any given situation!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Luca's right and didn't even mention the Bay of Pigs, another Kennedy fiasco that reinforced the Kremlin's impression of him as too inexperienced and weak!.
If all those dead people in Chicago hadn't voted for Kennedy, there would never have been a missile crisis with President Nixon!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes!.

He was under intense pressure from his military advisors (the whole JCS voted to invade Cuba, and his SAC commander, Curtis LeMay suggested launching a massive pre-emtive nuclear strike of the Soviet Union and Communist China) to respond with force in a nuclear standoff, a course of action which almost certainly would have led to massive loss of life and potentially the destruction of much of civilization!. Instead, he took the middle path, confronting and turning back Soviet container ships bound for Cuba wehile at the same time making it clear that he would negotiate!. The result was sold to the Soviets and Cubans as a victory, but it can be seen as a victory for the United States, as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Very well!. He remained calm (though he was probably as scared as anyone else would be) and chose the higher path of negotiation, rather than launching a nuclear attack!. He stared down the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War when Krushchev was bragging about Soviet might--and they backed down without a shot being fired!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The US and Russia are both still here and not piles of radioactive goop, so I'd say yes!. Kennedy's blockade of Cuba worked and it was a major victory for the US in the Cold War!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No one died!. Nothing exploded!. At the end of it communication between the USA and USSR improved!.

Looks like a good result to me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think Kennedy was diafied because he was shot, I doubt history would have shown him to be the Messiah if he had lived!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

VERY WELLWww@QuestionHome@Com

HISTORY WHO CARESWww@QuestionHome@Com