The message that the artist is trying to get across would be that Kennedy has no understanding of the magnitude of an issue like threatened nuclear warfare. The artist is suggesting that he is neither intelligent enough, nor does he have the staff around him to take care of such a matter, so instead, he just "sweeps it under the rug" or in this case, atttempts to lock it in a box. Kennedy is portrayed in this particular sketch as proportionate, however, tired and sweating from the hard work of containing an issue larger than the "box' he was trying to place it in. Alongside Nikita Kruschev, the two men are barely able to contain the monster of this threat of nuclear warfare, which is ironic considering the Soviet Union, under Krushev, wasn't particularly 'allied" with the United States over this matter. He is shown in this picture as weak. How can a president so fit for the job be so weak in the areas where his expertise is most needed? He doesn't have the strength to resist the outbreak and cannot find a logical way to conceal the issue. The enormous monster-like hands serve as a symbol of a daunting threat of warfare. This cartoon appeals to all anti-Kennedy voters because it consistently highlights his many flaws in foreign policy, fortitude, and leadership.