page_title: Special Relationship
section_title: Macmillan and Kennedy (January 1961 – October 1963)
hierarchical_section_title: Special Relationship / History / Macmillan and Kennedy (January 1961 – October 1963)
caption_attribution_description: President Kennedy and Prime Minister Macmillan meeting at the Key West Naval Station on March 27, 1961. Photo by Don Pinder.
context_page_description: The Special Relationship is an unofficial term often used to describe the political, diplomatic, cultural, economic, military, and historical relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. The term first came into popular usage after it was used in a 1946 speech by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The two nations have been close allies during many conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and the War on Terror.
  Although both governments also have close relationships with many other nations, the level of cooperation between the U.K. and the U.S. in trade and commerce, military planning, execution of military operations, nuclear weapons technology, and intelligence sharing has been described as "unparalleled" among major world powers. The close relationships between British and American heads of government such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher as well as between Tony Blair and both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have been noted.
context_section_description: Kennedy was an anglophile. His father had previously served as the US ambassador to the UK and his sister had been Marchioness of Hartington, whose husband was incidentally Macmillan's nephew by marriage.
  British intelligence assisted the US in assessing the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy appreciated Macmillan's steady leadership, and admired his Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
caption: Macmillan and Kennedy at Key West in 1961
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