important during the Cold War. Kennedy, the 35 th President of the United States, gave every intention that he would not back down to the Soviets in Vietnam. Kennedy’s rhetoric from his inauguration to his assassination assured that America would fight for freedom, and would not de-escalate the war against the communists in Vietnam. His inaugural address spoke of standing up to America’s adversaries, by stating that America will “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty”. 22 John Donovan argued this rhetoric paved the way for America’s “activism” in defending freedom in the world, as part of America’s activism in the Cold War, JFK oversaw the biggest build-up of American arms in peace-time history. 23 Another key element of Kennedy’s cold war rhetoric was his proactive attitude, Kennedy was sure that America must “move forward to meet communism, rather than waiting for it to come to us and then reacting to it”. 24 So, to suggest that Kennedy would have withdrawn from Vietnam is a fundamentally flawed notion, as he always wanted to be on the front foot taking the war to the Soviets, not withdrawing and waiting. Kennedy substantiated his claims by deploying over 15,000 military advisors to Vietnam 25 , this was part of his plan to assist South 22 John F. Kennedy Presidential Library [online]. [cited 5 November 2017]. Available from: <https://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready- Reference/JFK-Quotations/Inaugural-Address.aspx> 23 John C., Donovan, The Cold Warriors: A Policy-Making Elite (Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1974), pp. 175-177. 24 George C., Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975, 2nd edn (New York: Knopf, 1986), p. 74. 25 Dean, Robert D., ‘Masculinity as Ideology: John F. Kennedy and the Domestic Politics of Foreign Policy’, Diplomatic History, 22 (1998), pp. 29-62. <https://academic-oup-com.openathens- proxy.swan.ac.uk/dh/article/22/1/29/article> [accessed 5 November 2017] (p. 52).
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