John F. Kennedy

====Laos====
{{see also|Laotian Civil War}}

After the election, Eisenhower emphasized to Kennedy that the communist threat in Southeast Asia required priority; Eisenhower considered [[Laos]] to be "the cork in the bottle" in regards to the regional threat.{{sfn|Reeves|1993|p=75}} In March 1961, Kennedy voiced a change in policy from supporting a "free" Laos to a "neutral" Laos, indicating privately that [[Vietnam]] should be deemed America's tripwire for communism's spread in the area.{{sfn|Reeves|1993|p=75}} Though he was unwilling to commit U.S. forces to a major military intervention in Laos, Kennedy did approve [[CIA activities in Laos|CIA activities]] designed to defeat Communist insurgents through bombing raids and the recruitment of the [[Hmong people]].{{sfn|Patterson|1996|p=498}}