John F. Kennedy and Europe

When John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States in January 1961, the Cold War was at its height. Although the Soviet Union’s greatest opportunities for expanding its influence were in the newer, poorer countries of the Third World, Kennedy gave top priority to Europe, recognizing that the continent was the key to America’s success, security and survival in a dangerous world. This collection of essays by both participants in and scholars of US policy toward Europe from 1961 to 1963 includes contributions by British historian Alistair Horne, journalist John Newhouse and arms control specialist Carl Kaysen. They treat such topics as Kennedy’s relationships with European leaders, his adminstration’s Italian and Portuguese policies, the Limited Test-Ban Treaty of 1963, and the balance of payment crisis with Europe.