Although Kennedy was thrown across the deck and injured his back, which had previously plagued him with problems, he was able to tow a wounded man three miles across the ocean to an island. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, with the following citation that sums up his exemplary leadership. "During the following 6 days, (Kennedy) succeeded in getting his crew ashore, and after swimming many hours attempting to secure aid and food, finally effected the rescue of the men. His courage, endurance and excellent leadership contributed to the saving of several lives and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service" (as cited in "John F. Kennedy", 2005).

             Following World War II, Kennedy began his career in politics. In 1946, Kennedy won the vacated seat of Representative James M. Curley, by a large margin. He was reelected to this position twice, but his voting record was often contradictory to President Harry Truman, as well as divergent from the Democratic Party as a whole ("John F. Kennedy", 2005). This voting record was a demonstrative example of a Kennedy who would go on to prove that he was a man unto himself, as a future President. .

             In 1952, Kennedy moved his political career one step forward with the defeat of Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. for Senator of Massachusetts. His bid for the position of Vice President nomination at the Democratic National Convention, in 1956, although turned down, also bolstered his career. He also adroitly handled the Civil Rights Act of 1957 by voting for final passage, but also earlier had voted for the jury trial amendment which would have made the Act quite ineffective ("John F. Kennedy", 2005).

             Overview of Nikita Khrushchev:.

             Nikita Khrushchev was born in the village of Kalinovja, in what is now known as Kursk Oblast of the Russian Federation. He was originally trained and worked as a pipe fitter for a variety of mines, but it was during World War I, that Khrushchev's leadership would begin to emerge, as he began to be involved in trade union activities, following the Bolshevik revolution, in 1917.