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In September 1960, Kennedy had written a review of a book by the British historian and strategist B. H. Liddell Hart, Deterrent or Defense, and highlighted this observation of Hart’s: “Keep cool. Have unlimited patience. Never corner an opponent, and always assist him to save face. Put yourself in his shoes—so as to see things through his eyes. Avoid self-righteousness like the devil—nothing is so self-blinding.”
In September 1960, Kennedy had written a review of a book by the British historian and strategist B. H. Liddell Hart, Deterrent or Defense, and highlighted this observation of Hart’s: “Keep cool. Have unlimited patience. Never corner an opponent, and always assist him to save face. Put yourself in his shoes—so as to see things through his eyes. Avoid self-righteousness like the devil—nothing is so self-blinding.”
This is very interesting. It's a blueprint for how they handled the Cuban missile crisis. they offered to pull missiles out of turkey, so Khrushchev could make it look like he won something out of it all.
This is very interesting. It's a blueprint for how they handled the Cuban missile crisis. they offered to pull missiles out of turkey, so Khrushchev could make it look like he won something out of it all.
One of the many things that Trump doesn't understand - at least, not for others - is the concept of allowing people to be saving face. We speak of it in terms of Asian culture, but really it's applicable to everyone, and everywhere, not just politics. With Kennedy, it was not only agreed on, but done very discreetly.
One of the many things that Trump doesn't understand - at least, not for others - is the concept of allowing people to be saving face. We speak of it in terms of Asian culture, but really it's applicable to everyone, and everywhere, not just politics. With Kennedy, it was not only agreed on, but done very discreetly.
Our current President seems to be treating the Presidency as if it were a big game show, as if he feels has to play to his home audience. Doesn't he have advisors, to brief him on diplomacy, what it is, and the value of it?
Let's keep threads in the History forum focused on History, please.
I just saw something on the Smithsonian Channel that said that the removal of missiles from Turkey was not announced publicly when the Cuban Missile Crisis was ended with the withdrawal of the nukes from Cuba and the US promise not the invade the island.
One of the many things that Trump doesn't understand - at least, not for others - is the concept of allowing people to be saving face. We speak of it in terms of Asian culture, but really it's applicable to everyone, and everywhere, not just politics. With Kennedy, it was not only agreed on, but done very discreetly.
Yes; in the midst of total panic, it was handled very deftly. In spite of the military pushing him toward the abyss.
Abysses should be taken very seriously, and avoided carefully. And you're right about "saving face" not being only an Asian thing. I've run into it everywhere in the developing world, and in eastern Europe, as well. It's probably a factor here at home more than we realize, too.
Words are wind! Kennedy's actions in during the Cuba Missile Crisis is totally opposite to his remarks about the book, as well as his "Bay of Pigs" fiasco.
Kennedy imposed a military blockade of Cuba (and rightfully so for a justified risk). A Military Blockade! - that's about as in your face and confrontational as you can get without firing a weapon, we won't even "go there" with N. Korea.
Someone mentioned the issue with missles in Turkey which was the reason for the missles in Cuba in the first place. There was no "saving face" as the deal to finally remove missles was in secret. On the contrary, if anything, it was Kruschev allowing Kennedy to save face to make it look like he won when we in reality gave in to his original demands for putting missles in Cuba in the first place.
You guys are so intent on putting a current relevent political spin on history that you are willing to change history it seems.
Words are wind! Kennedy's actions in during the Cuba Missile Crisis is totally opposite to his remarks about the book, as well as his "Bay of Pigs" fiasco.
Kennedy imposed a military blockade of Cuba (and rightfully so for a justified risk). A Military Blockade! - that's about as in your face and confrontational as you can get without firing a weapon, we won't even "go there" with N. Korea.
Someone mentioned the issue with missles in Turkey which was the reason for the missles in Cuba in the first place. There was no "saving face" as the deal to finally remove missles was in secret. On the contrary, if anything, it was Kruschev allowing Kennedy to save face to make it look like he won when we in reality gave in to his original demands for putting missles in Cuba in the first place.
You guys are so intent on putting a current relevent political spin on history that you are willing to change history it seems.
Interesting. I don't think it's the members who have rewritten history. That's the version that is presented in documentaries.
Interesting. I don't think it's the members who have rewritten history. That's the version that is presented in documentaries.
Hey I like Kennedy, he was indeed flexible, but he had plenty of foreign affair missteps including some really bad misinterpretations of Kruschev's message in the first year of his presidency.
Another misstep was him relying too much on his staff of "whiz kids", basically a collection of arrogant academics hired from 1960 onwards, that were carried over to the Johnson administration. Instead of flexibility, there solution was to put all these metrics into the crude computers of that era and rely on what they told should be the solution - and that's one reason how we ended up in the mess in Vietnam (but that's another thread topic...).
Hey I like Kennedy, he was indeed flexible, but he had plenty of foreign affair missteps including some really bad misinterpretations of Kruschev's message in the first year of his presidency.
Another misstep was him relying too much on his staff of "whiz kids", basically a collection of arrogant academics hired from 1960 onwards, that were carried over to the Johnson administration. Instead of flexibility, there solution was to put all these metrics into the crude computers of that era and rely on what they told should be the solution - and that's one reason how we ended up in the mess in Vietnam (but that's another thread topic...).
Interesting. Let's not forget, though, that it was Eisenhower who first sent "advisers" to Vietnam.
And yeah, going along with the Dulles Brothers on the Bay of Pigs "adventure" (*cough*) was a huge mistake. The Bros. were high on the coup they pulled off in Guatemala, and thought they could do something similar in Cuba. The experience in Guatemala because a sort of prototype, for future "corrective actions".
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Let's not forget, though, that it was Eisenhower who first sent "advisers" to Vietnam.
