June 4, 1961: The Vienna Summit

June 4, 1961: The Vienna Summit marks the only meeting between American President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

This was part of a European trip on which JFK and his wife, the former Jacqueline Bouvier, of French descent and fluent in French, also visited France and met with President Charles de Gaulle in Paris. de Gaulle, 27 years older than JFK, and a tough guy who had been through a lot in 2 World Wars, was officially an ally of America's, and found both Kennedys very charming.

JFK knew just how valuable Jackie was to him in Europe. At a news conference at the Palais Chaillot on June 2, he said, "I do not think it altogether inappropriate to introduce myself to this audience: I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it." Everyone laughed -- including Jackie.

Khrushchev was the leader of America's adversary, and would thus be another matter entirely. He was 23 years older, had also been through both World Wars, and was every bit as tough as de Gaulle. He thought he could intimidate JFK. He was right: Jack was outmatched on the international stage by the more experienced man, who had toyed with President Dwight D. Eisenhower the previous year, after the U-2 spy-plane incident.

Sensing Kennedy's weakness, Khrushchev made a move on Berlin the next month, and Kennedy had to scramble to make sure it didn't escalate into World War III. By July, he was calling up U.S. Army Reserve units to send to West Berlin, because Khrushchev was doing the same on his side.

Khrushchev responded by having East Germany build the Berlin Wall, surrounding the western part of the city. The Warsaw Pact, dominated by the Soviets with East Germany as its 2nd-ranking partner, called the Wall "the Antifascist Protection Rampart." The idea was that it was supposed to keep America and its NATO allies, including Britain and France, out. This was a cover: So many people were fleeing from East Berlin to West Berlin that the Pact was willing to put up Der Berliner Mauer, heavily guarded by sniper towers, to stop them.

Kennedy didn't like this, but he knew that a wall was better than a war.

The following year, Khrushchev thought he could push Kennedy around in regard to Cuba. That turned out not to be true. Kennedy got Khrushchev to back down. After that, there seemed to a thawing in the Cold War, what would later be called détente, a French word meaning "relaxation." They were on considerably better terms following the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. But they would never meet again: By mid-October 1964, neither would be in power any longer.

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June 4, 1961 was a Sunday. Singer Eldra "El" DeBarge was born. And these baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 10-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Bill Stafford went the distance for the win, while Billy Pierce didn't get out of the 1st inning. Roger Maris went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk. Mickey Mantle went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI. The only White Sox run came on a home run by Wes Covington.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5 at Fenway Park in Boston. Brooks Robinson went 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Rookie Carl Yastrzemski did not play for the Red Sox.

* The Kansas City Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 8-5 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Don Ferrarese pitched a 5-hit shutout. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians swept a doubleheader from the Los Angeles Angels, 5-3 and 8-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* A doubleheader was split at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Reds won the opener, 3-1. The Chicago Cubs won the nightcap, 8-2. Over the 2 games, Frank Robinson went 2-for-8 with a home run and 2 RBIs, and Ernie Banks went 1-for-7 with a home run and 2 walks.

* The Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins, 10-4 and 9-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Over the 2 games, Al Kaline went 1-for-7 with a walk, and Harmon Killebrew went 2-for-7 with a walk.

* The Milwaukee Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Warren Spahn outpitched Bob Gibson. Hank Aaron went 1-for-3 with a walk. Stan Musial went 0-for-3.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Willie Mays went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Duke Snider went 0-for-4.