Kennedy, Johnson, and the Nonaligned World

Abstract

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy initiated a bold new policy of engaging states that had chosen to remain nonaligned in the Cold War. In a narrative ranging from the White House to the western coast of Africa and the shores of New Guinea, Robert B. Rakove examines the brief but eventful life of this policy during the presidencies of Kennedy and his successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Engagement initially met with real success, but it faltered in the face of serious obstacles, including colonial and regional conflicts, disputes over foreign aid and the Vietnam War. Its failure paved the way for a lasting hostility between the United States and much of the nonaligned world, with consequences extending to the present. This book offers a sweeping account of a critical period in the relationship between the United States and the Third World.

The Historical Presidency: JFK's Dante

“…While subsequent events largely support Kennedy's observations and recommendations, his harsh criticism of the French and the neutrality of the current administration on this issue elicited much criticism in the press and strong rebukes from French officials, Eisenhower, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and Dean Acheson. The New York Times characterized it as “perhaps the most comprehensive and outspoken arraignment of Western policy toward Algeria yet presented by an American in public office” (Rakove , 31).…”

“…Nor did the emerging postcolonial world forget Kennedy's opening to their aspirations. When Kennedy was assassinated, there was an outpouring of grief from Egypt, Algeria, India, and Indonesia, less formal condolence than what one American diplomat described as “a sense of universal tragedy.” An editorial in an Arab paper stated that Kennedy had changed the United States from the “repugnant rich brother” to the “cherished rich brother of the human family” (Rakove , xvii). Despite the many criticisms of his speech in the first world, Kennedy held firm, conceding only that Algeria was a “complicated problem” and “that, of course, the Soviet Union is guilty of far worse examples of imperialism” (O'Brien 2005, 359).…”

Indonesia‐U.S. Security Collaboration: Still Under the Radar?

“…Under President John F. Kennedy, the United States attempted to engage with the NAM but this initial diplomatic posture of outreach was abrogated by his successor, Lyndon Johnson, who tended to exercise a more partisan foreign policy. Indonesian tensions with Malaysia via the Konfrontasi only reaffirmed the Johnson administration's scepticism about Indonesia's geopolitical orientation and about NAM in general at a time when Washington was destined to escalate its own military involvement in Indochina (Rakove, ).…”

The Kennedy Administration and the Battle over Foreign Aid: The Untold Story of the Clay Committee

“…20 Robert David Johnson and Robert Rakove go further than most in discussing the Committee in its congressional and broader foreign policy contexts. 21 Whilst these studies have contributed to our understanding of the Congressional aid fight, they miss the importance of the Clay Committee. It supported Kennedy's policies and USAID more than has been acknowledged.…”

“…The defeat seemed so overwhelming that Jawaharlal Nehru, India's premier, actually withdrew his request for Bokaro aid hoping that it would help Kennedy pass the bill. 124 The Administration re-doubled its efforts and lobbied senators in advance of the Foreign Relations Committee authorisation vote, pointing to the events of 1962-the Cuban Missile Crisis, China's attack on India, the deteriorating situation in South Vietnam-to highlight the communist threat. Dungan suggested that Kennedy personally rally the business and print media communities.…”