Kennedy's idealism was no match for Khrushchev's hard press and his belief that he could turn the tide of history in his favour.
Part three of "The Destroyer of Worlds" explores the dangerous game of brinkmanship that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, with both sides taking dangerous risks to avoid being seen as weak.
The Kennedy administration's famous change to the US national security strategy was called flexible response, where they would use nuclear weapons if necessary but not lead with them, marking a significant transition from Eisenhower's massive retaliation approach. This strategy was more for public relations than reality on the ground, and it was a response to the Soviet Union bluffing with nuclear weapon capabilities that they didn't possess.