Providing a helping hand:
service and volunteering in the cold war
In the
following selections of primary sources, students will find the main theme that each source touches
on is service to one’s country. Whether
this service is established through the Peace Corps, working in a government
position, or through the military – John F. Kennedy didn’t seem to have a
preference. President Kennedy felt that
in the contemporary world he lived in many challenges were arising that
required the best and the brightest citizens of the United States to hitch
their wagon with the United States government. Citizens would enlist for international assignments that would ultimately
help freedom to prosper. He believed
that the problems that the world was facing could be solved: problems that were
man-made could be resolved by man peacefully.
By so doing, America’s foreign image and reputation would improve.
On the campaign trail, Senator Kennedy began asking crowds if they would use their skills in volunteer positions around the globe. Volunteers’ skills in education, agriculture, engineering, and other fields could be used to help better new nations in Africa and Asia. The response was overwhelming. As the Newsweek article from March 13, 1961 reports, “Only 24 hours after President John F. Kennedy – at his press conference – announced the creation of his overseas Peace Corps of volunteer American men and women, he already had enough applicants to build another Hoover Dam (on which 5,000 men worked),” (Newsweek, 13 Mar 1961, page 19). To help run this newly established government office, President Kennedy enlisted the help of his brother in law, R. Sargent Shriver. The Peace Corps was an immediate success for a newly elected President.
Part of the reason for establishing the Peace Corps was the drastically low capabilities of men who were serving as ambassadors, or who were employed through the Foreign Service. In his campaign speech outlining his need for a Peace Corps, Kennedy provides data to show how some government officials could not even communicate in the country where they were asked to work. He says, “In Athens only 6 of 79 Americans spoke the modern language of Greek,” (Kennedy, 2 Nov 1960). Because of this lack of foreign language skills, he then goes on to explain how Peace Corps volunteers will be given quality training in languages and other areas before they are sent overseas.
John F. Kennedy realized that the world was changing, and he feared that the United States was lagging behind its rival – the USSR. Part of the reason for this lag was because he felt that the United States government hadn’t progressed as fast as the rest of the world. The black and white world that he accused the Republican party of living in had evaporated. He felt that the world was now grey. A famous saying is “an enemy of our enemy is our friend.” In a speech Kennedy gave at the University of Washington, he notes, “One of our former allies has become our adversary – and he has his own adversaries who are not our allies,” (Kennedy, 16 Nov 1961). In the new world of Cold War culture, you could no longer find similarities with the enemies of your enemy. How strange times had become; the new times called for new measures.
Very appreciative of the men who enlisted in the military, President Kennedy pointed out the difficult and confusing world they now faced. They were not only called upon to fight, but more often than not, he supposed, they would be called upon as advisers to help during lengthy times of peace. In two speeches he gave, one at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1961, and the other at West Point the following year, he quoted the same phrase. President Kennedy said, “…you must also understand the limits of military power. You must understand that few of the important problems of our time have, in the final analysis, been finally resolved by military power alone.” If the graduating classes from the various military academies sought after peace, then they must be willing to use skills they never expected to employ. Officers would be bankers offering economic advice, and they would be Red Cross workers offering aid. They also needed to be respectful citizens from the United States. President Kennedy continues, again, in both commencement addresses, “Your posture and performance will provide many people far beyond our shores, who know very little of our country, the only evidence they will ever see as to whether America is truly dedicated to the cause of justice and freedom,” (Kennedy, 7 June 1961). Just as he hoped for the newly established Peace Corps, he wanted his military officers to represent all the good things about the United States.
When President Kennedy took office, his New Frontier envisioned how ordinary U.S. citizens could help to turn the tide of communism spreading through emerging nations. The idea to establish the Peace Corps was wildly popular. But JFK did not stop there. President Kennedy also asked military officers to take part in this new experiment. With everyone lending a helping hand to repair the United States reputation abroad, freedom was sure to continue and to spread to new nations.
On the campaign trail, Senator Kennedy began asking crowds if they would use their skills in volunteer positions around the globe. Volunteers’ skills in education, agriculture, engineering, and other fields could be used to help better new nations in Africa and Asia. The response was overwhelming. As the Newsweek article from March 13, 1961 reports, “Only 24 hours after President John F. Kennedy – at his press conference – announced the creation of his overseas Peace Corps of volunteer American men and women, he already had enough applicants to build another Hoover Dam (on which 5,000 men worked),” (Newsweek, 13 Mar 1961, page 19). To help run this newly established government office, President Kennedy enlisted the help of his brother in law, R. Sargent Shriver. The Peace Corps was an immediate success for a newly elected President.
Part of the reason for establishing the Peace Corps was the drastically low capabilities of men who were serving as ambassadors, or who were employed through the Foreign Service. In his campaign speech outlining his need for a Peace Corps, Kennedy provides data to show how some government officials could not even communicate in the country where they were asked to work. He says, “In Athens only 6 of 79 Americans spoke the modern language of Greek,” (Kennedy, 2 Nov 1960). Because of this lack of foreign language skills, he then goes on to explain how Peace Corps volunteers will be given quality training in languages and other areas before they are sent overseas.
John F. Kennedy realized that the world was changing, and he feared that the United States was lagging behind its rival – the USSR. Part of the reason for this lag was because he felt that the United States government hadn’t progressed as fast as the rest of the world. The black and white world that he accused the Republican party of living in had evaporated. He felt that the world was now grey. A famous saying is “an enemy of our enemy is our friend.” In a speech Kennedy gave at the University of Washington, he notes, “One of our former allies has become our adversary – and he has his own adversaries who are not our allies,” (Kennedy, 16 Nov 1961). In the new world of Cold War culture, you could no longer find similarities with the enemies of your enemy. How strange times had become; the new times called for new measures.
Very appreciative of the men who enlisted in the military, President Kennedy pointed out the difficult and confusing world they now faced. They were not only called upon to fight, but more often than not, he supposed, they would be called upon as advisers to help during lengthy times of peace. In two speeches he gave, one at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1961, and the other at West Point the following year, he quoted the same phrase. President Kennedy said, “…you must also understand the limits of military power. You must understand that few of the important problems of our time have, in the final analysis, been finally resolved by military power alone.” If the graduating classes from the various military academies sought after peace, then they must be willing to use skills they never expected to employ. Officers would be bankers offering economic advice, and they would be Red Cross workers offering aid. They also needed to be respectful citizens from the United States. President Kennedy continues, again, in both commencement addresses, “Your posture and performance will provide many people far beyond our shores, who know very little of our country, the only evidence they will ever see as to whether America is truly dedicated to the cause of justice and freedom,” (Kennedy, 7 June 1961). Just as he hoped for the newly established Peace Corps, he wanted his military officers to represent all the good things about the United States.
When President Kennedy took office, his New Frontier envisioned how ordinary U.S. citizens could help to turn the tide of communism spreading through emerging nations. The idea to establish the Peace Corps was wildly popular. But JFK did not stop there. President Kennedy also asked military officers to take part in this new experiment. With everyone lending a helping hand to repair the United States reputation abroad, freedom was sure to continue and to spread to new nations.
Works Cited
Kennedy, John F. “The Cow Palace, San Francisco.” The Cow Palace, San Francisco. 2 Nov 1960. Speech. Web. 28 Jul 2015. Presidency.ucsb.edu.
Kennedy, John F. “University of Washington.” University of Washington, Seattle. 16 Nov 1961. Commencement Address. Web. 29 Jul 2015. Millercenter.org
Kennedy, John F. “United States Naval Academy.” Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. 7 Jun 1961. Commencement Address. Web. 27 Jul 2015. Millercenter.org
“Answering the Call.” Newsweek.org. Newsweek. 13 Mar 1961. Web. 27 Jul 2015.
Kennedy, John F. “The Cow Palace, San Francisco.” The Cow Palace, San Francisco. 2 Nov 1960. Speech. Web. 28 Jul 2015. Presidency.ucsb.edu.
Kennedy, John F. “University of Washington.” University of Washington, Seattle. 16 Nov 1961. Commencement Address. Web. 29 Jul 2015. Millercenter.org
Kennedy, John F. “United States Naval Academy.” Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. 7 Jun 1961. Commencement Address. Web. 27 Jul 2015. Millercenter.org
“Answering the Call.” Newsweek.org. Newsweek. 13 Mar 1961. Web. 27 Jul 2015.