John F. Kennedy’s presidency was a time of great dreams and grave crises. He was a superb public speaker who inspired the American people during the exhilarating and perilous events of the early 1960s. Despite his lofty idealism, Kennedy spent much of his time in office confronting the perils of the Cold War, a difficult issue he addressed in a televised address from the Oval Office, Report to the American People on the Soviet Arms Buildup in Cuba, on October 22, 1962.