From the start of the Cold War in 1945 and through 1963, the United States had three presidents: Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy, respectively. Out of the three, the president who was the most effective Cold War leader was John F. Kennedy. JFK's foreign policy, called Flexible Response, was better than Truman's policy of containment and Eisenhower's New Look. In addition, Kennedy did not make the mistakes of his predecessors, such as mishandling the situation in countries where communism posed a threat (China, Korea, and Cuba), and stood up to communism, unlike Eisenhower during the Hungary revolt. Finally, Kennedy faced the toughest test out of all three of these presidents, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and passed this test with flying colors.

Kennedy's foreign policy, known as Flexible Response, was the most comprehensive foreign policy of any Cold War president up to that point...