Question

Throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy's advisers helped him through the decision making process. Then describe the influence JFK's advisers had on the decisions he made.

Answer 1

With the outburst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy formed a group of advisors called Executive Commitee (ExComm). These advisors had decisive influence over the decisions made by the President, they offered possible solutions and scenarios. The sessions were secretly recorded. As the conflict growed to be almost at the verge of a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the U.S. , the Excomm focused in finding a solution to prevent it. Kennedy's desitions were shaped by his meetings with his advisors, a blockade was the first course of action, and though it made grow tension between the parts, finaly a peaceful agreement was made. The Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles of Cuba while the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba.

Answer 2

President John F. Kennedy contained the Cuban Missile Crisis in a largely collaborative effort with his advisers. At the center of his support, we've always found the figure of Robert Kennedy. The views on where Robert standed during the unfolding of the crisis tend to be mixed up.

In the beginning it was the secretary of defence Robert McNamara who argued in favor of a blockade to Cuba instead of a military strike. We can also attribute to him the persuassion over his ExComm colleagues who were trying to push military action.

Several other U.S. officials such as national security adviser McGeorge Bundy and Theodore Sorensen, recongnized the great dangers that using force could cause America by precipitating the risk of Soviet retaliation.

Robert Kennedy was certainly the most influential adviser for JFK, but he wasn't by any means an early supporter of the course of action that ended up resolving the crisis in a more diplomatic way, as the President was able to stand up against the pressure and go for a successful blockade.

Hope this helps!