Printed Page 796 Chapter Chronology

New Frontiers in Foreign Policy

John F. Kennedy moved quickly to pursue containment more aggressively and with more flexible means. In contrast to the Eisenhower administration's emphasis on nuclear weapons, Kennedy expanded both the nation's nuclear capacity and its ability to fight conventional battles and engage in guerrilla warfare. Kennedy also accelerated the nation's space exploration program and increased attention to the third world. When the Soviets tried to establish a nuclear outpost in Cuba in 1962, he took the United States to the brink of war. In another resolute move, Kennedy sent increasing amounts of American arms and personnel to save the South Vietnamese government from Communist insurgents.