• See also: 1.) Gaddis, John Lewis, The Cold War: A New History (2005), p. 115. 2.) O’Brien, Michael (August 12, 2011): President Kennedy and the Berlin Wall. In: The History Reader: Dispatches in history from the St. Martin's Publishing Group. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. 3.) Kempe, Frederick (June 6, 2011): Berlin 1961: Kennedy Writes the Script, East Germany Builds the Wall. In: Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021.
When they met in Vienna in the spring of 1961 Khrushchev bullied the young president: “It is up to the U.S. to decide whether there will be war or peace.” “If that’s true,” Kennedy responded, “it’s going to be a cold winter.” Then on August 3, 1961, the Berlin Wall suddenly went up — much to Kennedy’s relief. “Why would Khrushchev put up a wall if he really intended to seize West Berlin?” Kennedy wondered. “There wouldn’t be any need of a wall if he planned to occupy the whole city. This is his way out of his predicament. It’s not a very nice solution, but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When they met in Vienna in the spring of 1961 Khrushchev bullied the young president: “It is up to the U.S. to decide whether there will be war or peace.” “If that’s true,” Kennedy responded, “it’s going to be a cold winter.” Then on August 3, 1961, the Berlin Wall suddenly went up — much to Kennedy’s relief. “Why would Khrushchev put up a wall if he really intended to seize West Berlin?” Kennedy wondered. “There wouldn’t be any need of a wall if he planned to occupy the whole city. This is his way out of his predicament. It’s not a very nice solution, but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”" in the context of "John F. Kennedy to his to his friend and aide Kenny O’Donnel, as quoted in "On This Day: President Kennedy delivers his iconic Berlin Wall speech in Germany" (June 26, 2021) by the "IrishCentral.com" author Dermot McEvoy, archived from the original on August 3, 2021.
• See also: 1.) Gaddis, John Lewis, The Cold War: A New History (2005), p. 115. 2.) O’Brien, Michael (August 12, 2011): President Kennedy and the Berlin Wall. In: The History Reader: Dispatches in history from the St. Martin's Publishing Group. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. 3.) Kempe, Frederick (June 6, 2011): Berlin 1961: Kennedy Writes the Script, East Germany Builds the Wall. In: Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
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About John F. Kennedy