John F. Kennedy (JFK) became president at the height of the Cold War, a time during which the United States and Soviet Union had become engaged in a nuclear arms race. The Soviets had constructed the Berlin Wall in 1961 as a result of the Cold War, with the wall becoming a symbol of communism. JFK saw it as the perfect place to deliver an anti-communist speech and give support to those seeking freedom.We looked at the Bay of Pigs invasion, in which America attempted to overthrow the Cuban communist leader, Fidel Castro, was not successful. In addition, tensions between the US and the USSR were further heightened when the Soviets placed nuclear weapons in Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which the Soviets had nuclear weapons within close range of America. Fortunately, Kennedy's negotiations were successful and an agreement was reached, which avoided nuclear war. Kennedy worked to fight communism by creating international programs such as the Peace Corps, Alliance for Progress, and Project Apollo. Regarding communism, Kennedy devised the Flexible Response strategy to thwart communist expansion with military forces or nuclear weapons with a quick response.