Episode 99 - What Are Some of the Key Moments of 1961? (JFK Assassination Timeline, 1961)

For more content from Barry Jones, go to sphistory.com. JFK campaigned as a Cold Warrior. In his inaugural address, he split the difference, pledging peace through strength while establishing nuclear confrontation as a red line he wouldn't cross. Then in 1961, the Joint Chiefs and the CIA advocated military intervention in Laos and Cuba, combat troops in Vietnam, and a period of heightened tensions with the Soviets followed by a preemptive nuclear strike in 1963. During this time, JFK came out of the closet, going public with his ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament, inducing a private response by counterpart Nikita Khrushchev through a backchannel. Gradually, JFK's courage to cast a vision of peace began to shape his foreign policy interactions and policies going forward. It all began in 1961.