John F. Kennedy – On the Occasion of the 100th Birthday

These days coincide with the 100th birthday of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. John Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brooklyn (Massachusetts). A few months later, the October Revolution of 1917 took place in Russia. No one thought that this infant would later be elected as the 35th President of the United States and become more involved in Cold War issues than any other president. Kennedy graduated from Harvard University in 1940, and a year later he joined the U.S. Navy. His service coincided with the challenges of great powers in World War II, where he witnessed and participated in its maritime dimensions in the Pacific waters. After World War II, John Kennedy entered politics in early 1947 at the age of only 29, successfully gaining the public's vote as a member of the Democratic Party and becoming a representative from Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was re-elected successfully to the Senate in 1948, 1950, and 1952. On September 12, 1953, he married a famous and beautiful journalist named Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (Jacqueline (Jackie) Lee Bouvier) [Jacqueline Kennedy]. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, known in today's American literature as 'JFK', was of Irish descent and the first American to be a Roman Catholic who became President of the United States. After winning the 1960 election, when he succeeded Dwight Eisenhower, he was only 43 years old (the youngest president in U.S. history). With experience from World War II and subsequent events, including the beginning of the Cold War between the Eastern and Western blocs, establishing relations with the Soviet Union was one of Kennedy's primary concerns. Perhaps this is why the Middle East, and subsequently Iran, drew the attention of the U.S. President significantly and became a focal point of his policymaking. In his presidential inauguration in 1961 (traditionally held on January 20), John Kennedy asked his fellow citizens to collaborate with him in the pursuit of progress and the fight against poverty, while also striving for victory in the 'Cold War' against communism worldwide. It was during this ceremony that his final words were recorded in the annals of history: 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Crises – In April 1961, Kennedy approved a plan to send 1,400 Cuban exiles trained by the CIA to return to Cuba and prepare for the collapse of the regime and Fidel Castro himself. This was Kennedy's first challenge in foreign policy. The CIA's plan failed, and almost all 14,000 who landed at the Bay of Pigs were either captured or killed. Two months later, Kennedy met with Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, in Vienna to discuss Berlin, which had been divided between the Allies and the Soviets after the war. Two months after this meeting, East German forces began constructing the Berlin Wall, and Kennedy responded by sending a troop of American forces to support the people of West Berlin. Following this incident, Kennedy delivered a fiery speech in June 1963 in front of the West Berlin town hall, during which he told the world: 'Ask not what America will do for you, look at how we can walk together for human freedom.' The challenge with the Soviet Union was not limited to Berlin. In October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy and Khrushchev faced off once again. The presence of Russian ballistic missiles in Cuba posed a direct threat to U.S. national security, and this issue sparked a serious confrontation between Washington and Moscow for two weeks. Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba, and Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missiles from Cuba in exchange for the removal of some American missiles from Turkey and a promise not to invade Cuba. The threat of using nuclear weapons brought the possibility of a nuclear war between the two superpowers to its closest point. However, in July 1963, Kennedy managed to secure a significant concession from the Russians and, along with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with Nikita Khrushchev. Nevertheless, Kennedy's efforts to control the spread of communism in Southeast Asia were unsuccessful, and he was forced to increase U.S. military presence in the Vietnam War, although he privately expressed dissatisfaction with this action. John Kennedy and Iran – In the Middle East, other issues were unfolding. A few years before Kennedy's presidency, following the fall of the monarchy in Iraq in the summer of 1958, U.S. relations with Iraq had cooled, and General Abdul Karim Qasim declared a republic in Iraq. In Kennedy's first summer in office, he faced the aggressive moves of Abdul Karim Qasim and the mobilization of Iraqi forces at the Kuwaiti border. When the Shah spoke in Congress about Iran's 2,500-year history, Qasim declared Kuwait an inseparable part of Iraqi territory, while Britain had only recently recognized Kuwait's independence on June 19 of that year. Britain, heavily dependent on Kuwaiti oil, sent 5,000 troops to confront Iraqi forces in Kuwait, but Kennedy's government encouraged Britain to bring the matter to the United Nations Security Council. Although the Soviet Union vetoed the Security Council vote, shortly thereafter, the situation was brought under control with the replacement of British forces by 4,000 Arab League troops. Alongside the political developments in Iraq, Kennedy became increasingly aware of the possibility of the Middle East being swallowed by communists. This concern justified U.S. rapprochement with Iran, and Kennedy made significant progress in this regard. In April 1962, at Kennedy's invitation, Mohammad Reza Shah visited Washington and received special attention from Kennedy. In the welcoming ceremony, Kennedy said: 'Your Majesty, on behalf of my fellow citizens, I welcome your arrival in the United States. Our mutual interests are similar: preserving our freedoms, maintaining peace, and providing a better life for our peoples.' During this visit, the Shah of Iran was able to tour NASA's space research centers at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the U.S. naval base on the Atlantic coast in North Carolina, and several military sites in Washington and other parts of the U.S. Additionally, the Shah spoke to Congress about the mutual interests of the two countries and also about Iran's 2,500-year history. Perhaps some residents of New York still remember the Shah of Iran's grand visit to New York, an event accompanied by a military parade where the leaders of the two countries were welcomed by the people in open-top cars. During this visit, a friendly relationship developed between the wives of the two young leaders, Jacqueline Kennedy and Farah Pahlavi. The relationship between Iran and the U.S. deepened during Kennedy's brief presidency. However, during those days, the Shah's policies faced strong opposition from the Iranian opposition. John Kennedy had an ambitious plan for democratic transformation in Iran. He wanted to prevent a revolution in Iran that could subsequently push Iran into the arms of the Soviet Union and transform Iran by strengthening the foundations of democracy. The Shah's visit had various military, scientific, and cultural dimensions and constitutes one of the historical sources of relations between the two countries. Today, a 20-minute film of this historic visit is preserved in the archives of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. The characteristics of this visit are not comparable to the travels of other world leaders from Washington (compare it with the recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his speech in Congress). The qualitative differences of this visit are influenced by two factors: first, the character of John Kennedy as an exceptional president, and second, the historical and national significance of Iran, which was well presented by the then king during this visit. The wives of the two leaders also had their own unique appeal among the people and politicians. The relationship between Iran and the U.S. deepened during Kennedy's brief presidency. However, during those days, the Shah's policies faced strong opposition from the Iranian opposition. John Kennedy had an ambitious plan for democratic transformation in Iran. He wanted to prevent a revolution in Iran that could subsequently push Iran into the arms of the Soviet Union and transform Iran by strengthening the foundations of democracy. However, within the U.S., there was a serious concern that the Shah of Iran might lean towards the Soviet Union instead of the West. This thought existed in many small and vulnerable regional governments in the 1960s, which often tried to hide their goals or hide behind the Soviet Union to gain more concessions from the West. With this reasoning, the events of the 1340s in Iran and the Shah's White Revolution stemmed from the thoughts of young John Kennedy but lacked the factors of continuity and stability. Kennedy's policy towards Iran, although left unfulfilled due to his assassination, clearly demonstrates how foreign governments can influence the process of national cultural transition towards democracy in other countries. Some analysts believe that the Shah often evaded implementing Kennedy's policies and used U.S. concerns about the spread of communism in the region and Iran as a pretext to receive economic aid and military support. Others believe that there was not enough consensus within U.S. decision-making circles to implement Kennedy's plans regarding Iran. Some attribute the Shah's shortcomings to his concerns about Soviet interference through the Tudeh Party and the influence of Shia clergy in society. It is evident that all these factors came together and led to the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. The assassination of John Kennedy – Kennedy transformed the political discourse in America. Many young Americans gravitated towards him, and it can be boldly said that to this day, no other president has left as admirable and commendable a legacy as he did. On November 22, 1963, during a trip to Dallas, Texas, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot while riding in a convertible with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy. His death shocked the entire world. The beloved and human character of John Kennedy became a heroic and enduring figure, one that historians still refer to as the most popular president in American history. Minutes past noon on November 22, the President and his wife had spoken in the previous day in the cities of San Antonio and Austin and had received a warm welcome. That day, they were traveling from the airport in a convertible towards downtown Dallas, where Kennedy was scheduled to give a speech at a point in the city. Gunfire was heard, and two bullets struck him. One bullet hit his neck and the other struck his head. Minutes after arriving at a hospital near the shooting site, Kennedy's death was announced, a death that suddenly plunged the whole world into astonishment. The accused assassin, 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald, was arrested. He was said to have had communist leanings, but two days later, while being transferred to jail, he was shot and killed by the owner of a nightclub. With Oswald's death, the mystery of the assassination of Kennedy remained forever unsolved. A mystery that raises a wide range of possibilities from the Soviet security services (KGB) to the American military-industrial complexes. Although a judicial commission concluded that Oswald acted alone, this conclusion never put an end to the discussions about the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.