John F. Kennedy Vietnam War Speech

The NXA and Vietcong were victorious and swept away the authority of the ruling class, not to mention adopting a collectivised and planned economy. I wouldn't reduce them to just mere nationalists. The Kennedys sure had a funny way of expressing their admiration for Castro with the bombardment, Bay of Pigs invasion, and repeatedly trying to kill Castro. Batista represented American ownership of Cuba. I think we both know personal feelings(if any) are usually cast aside in business deals.

The 1961 Cuban invasion was a fait accompli that JFK - following ex-Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower who initiated & approved it - could not stop. The Kennedy's never tried to kill Castro. That's revisionist CIA bullshit. Batista was a brutal puppet of U.S. corporate/mob/CIA power. JFK sought dialogue & accommodation with Castro via Lisa Howard, Wm. Attwood, Dick Goodwin & others in back-channel diplomacy, seeking to restore relations while battling the same enemies faced by Castro.

Ah, my age again. Perhaps you're just embarrassed that a 23 year old punk knows a lot more about this issue than a 59 year old guy who watched "JFK" too many times. You already proved that you didn't read the clauses in NSM 263, and you proved you didn't even read the McNamara-Maxwell report that 263 was based on, because if you did (which you didn't), then you'd either be lying or...well...yeah, you'd be lying. So yes, launch more ad homs at me regarding my age.

So you refer to that ONE line in 263, and ignore the fact that McGeorge Bundy based the "withdraw policy" on the October 2nd meeting, which claims that "should" the Vietnamese be able to take over the "essential functions" that was being performed by the US, the withdraw policy would be implemented. Thus, what I initially said was correct: Kennedy was NOT withdrawing prior to victory, and I used NSM 263 to prove it. Try again.

I think it's time you actually *READ* NSM 263. Clause 2 of 263 says the "object of the United states with respect to the withdrawal of U.S. military personnel remains as stated in the White House Statement of October 2, 1963." What did that "White House Statement" say? Provision 3 says "the US military personnel for training Vietnamese SHOULD have progressed to the point where 1000 military personnel assigned to S. Vietnam can be withdrawn".

The CIA IG report confirms that every step of the way JFK was deceived by Dulles, Bissell, Harvey, & others. He wanted a resistance force established in order to pressure Castro in negotiations to accommodate U.S. interests. That's why it was to be small, covert, & Cuban. Dulles wanted it big, bold, decisive, & a full scale U.S. military attack + assassinations of Castro & Che. JFK never approved this. He fired the CIA officials because they were running independent illegal policy in the field.

Actually, you're quite wrong (again). On June 14th, 1962, Edward Lansdale, Chief of Operations, sent a memo to Kennedy, Martin, Craig, Harvey and Wilson, which Kennedy accepted, that talked about the US implementing an "open, widespread revolt in Cuba", and back in October 6th, 1961, Thomas A, Parrott sent a memo to Kennedy talking about assassinating Castro. Before the Missile Crisis, the US had plans on invading Cuba. Kennedy was all for it, and authorized every measure of it.

You think that Kennedy fired Bissell and Dulles because they were doing illegal activities? Man, you're one naive guy. Operation Mongoose was EXTREMELY illegal (and immoral), and if the Nuremberg Laws applied to Kennedy, he'd be hung for that single Operation that blew up boats, factories, killed people, germ warfare, etc. On November 3rd, 1961, Kennedy personally authorized Operation Mongoose and authorized ever measure up to it.

The plan was suggested by Nixon & Hunt, hatched by JC King, approved by Allen Dulles, proposed & approved by Nixon (chairman of the 5412 Committee) & ex-Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower & built into an unstoppable operation by Dulles before it was handed off to JFK who had no possibility of shutting it down. JFK was assured it would be kept small, covert, & Cuban, with exiles supported in guerilla resistance by popular support. It was all lies. The original proposal was to be political.

You don't think Kennedy could have stopped the Bay of Pigs? Why not? You claim he had the power to stop the Vietnam War, which was much, much deadlier. You're not picking at both sides of the fence since you're justifying Kennedy's direct authorization of the Bay of Pigs yet claiming he "had to". Kennedy knew on the eve of the Bay of Pigs who would be fighting it...he just didn't plan on Castro kicking their asses. THAT'S why he fired Dulles and Bissell. They made him look bad.