Kennedy's Kitchen Cabinet and the Pursuit of Peace: The Shaping of American Foreign Policy, 1961-1963

John F. Kennedy's advisors were enormously influential in the shaping of American foreign policy at a crucial time. Through an examination of primary and secondary source material, this study argues that after struggling in his first year as president, Kennedy employed the guidance of several trusted individuals to shape his foreign policy for the remainder of his time in office. A core group including McGeorge Bundy, Robert Kennedy, Robert McNamara, Maxwell Taylor and Theodore Sorensen became a "Kitchen Cabinet" that led to strong leadership in confronting the Soviet Union, Cuba, Southeast Asia and Berlin. This book explores how Kennedy established a rapport with these and other advisors and how those relationships influenced history.