What Kennedy Said After Khrushchev Humiliated Him in Vienna

June 4, 1961, Vienna: President John F. Kennedy walked out of his final meeting with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev looking shaken and exhausted. For two days, Khrushchev had been aggressive, confrontational, and bullying toward the young American president. Khrushchev lectured Kennedy about capitalism, threatened war over Berlin, and treated him with barely concealed contempt. According to James Reston of the New York Times, who interviewed Kennedy immediately after the summit, Kennedy said: "He just beat the hell out of me." Kennedy continued: "I've got a terrible problem. If he thinks I'm inexperienced and have no guts, until we remove those ideas we won't get anywhere with him." On Air Force One flying home, Kennedy told aides: "He savaged me." Kennedy told advisor Theodore Sorensen: "He treated me like a little boy. Like a little boy." The Vienna summit was a diplomatic disaster that haunted Kennedy. He believed the Bay of Pigs failure had convinced Khrushchev he was weak. This video explores what Kennedy actually said in documented sources after the humiliating Vienna summit and how his own words revealed a president shocked by Soviet hostility.

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Disclaimer: This video presents historical events based on official summit records, published memoirs, and verified documents. Historical interpretations may vary among historians. Viewers are encouraged to consult multiple sources when studying this period.