Cold War in the Atomic Age

Section 14.3

Nuclear test destroys a Pacific atoll

1949

Capture from clip on creation of hydrogen bomb

Describe the public reaction in America to news of Soviet nuclear power:

• Intense fear• Fallout Shelters constructed

– Underground bunkers constructed out of concrete & steel

– Supplied with:• canned food, bottled water,

medical supplies, Radio, Geiger Counter, chemical toilet

• The word “atomic” becomes part of American lexicon:– Atomic Sales (50% off), Atomic

Cocktails (make your head explode)

Above: sign pointing way to official fallout shelter (most schools built pre-1965 had them); below, home fallout shelter (see next slide)

Fallout Shelter Presentation

Photo of a stocked home fallout shelter

What was the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA)?

• Truman’s response to the heightened public anxiety

• Designed to increase Americans’ optimism of their chances for surviving a nuclear attack

• Called for:– air-raid drills– evacuation plans – fallout shelter programs – “Duck and Cover” taught to

children as a way to keep safe in the event of an attack

Above: children ‘duck and cover’ under their desks in school; below: cartoon aims to teach young children about ‘ducking and covering’

Duck and Cover

Blank capture from a clip on ‘duck and cover’

What was MIKE?• 1st Hydrogen bomb• Used fusion instead of fission• 5xs hotter than center of Sun• Created 1 mile craterRight: ‘puny’ cloud from an early atomic test; below: crater from a hydrogen bomb (> 50 times the explosive force)

The H-Bomb

Capture from clip on the h-bomb, showing timer on launch device

Describe President Eisenhower• Background

– Supreme Allied Commander in Europe

– 1st NATO Commander

• Grandfather figure

• Knowledgeable in foreign affairs

• Republican

• trustworthyPresident Eisenhower in the Oval Office

How did Eisenhower change the Containment policy?

• Called New Look policy

• Downsized military– Saved $4 billion annually

• Massive Retaliation– Threatened Soviets with

massive nuclear strike in NATO was attacked

• Built military bases around the world

• Used U2 spy planes

Above: Ike with John Foster Dulles; below: a B-52 bomber

The U2Capture from clip on the U2 affair

U2 Presentation

Photo of a U2 spy plane

The U2 Incident

Second U2 clipSecond U2 clip

What are the dangers with the “New Look” policy?

• Leaves only 2 options– Nuclear war

– Do nothing

• Created Arms race– Soviets tested 1st H-

Bomb 7/1953

• Critics called policy brinksmanship

• MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction)

From early 1960s: Kennedy and Khrushchev sprint neck-and-neck with a bunch of missiles in their hands

What is fallout?• Radioactive ash that falls to

the earth after nuclear explosion

• Can travel hundreds of miles before landing

• Poisons water, ground, etc.• Causes leukemia, cancer–nuclear testing has

killed more than 15,000 Americans

–will cause at least 80,000 cancers

Above: artist’s rendition of nuclear explosion; below, another photo of the yellow and black fallout shelter sign

Testing

Capture from another clip on nuclear testing

Sputnik Presentation

Close-up of Sputnik, which shook Americans and convinced many of a ‘missile gap’

What was Sputnik?• 1st man-made satellite launched by

Soviets• USSR capable of hitting US

anywhere with nuclear weapons– ICBM

• US Reaction– National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA) formed– B-52 fleet enlarged– Submarines equipped with

nuclear weapons– Educational system funding for

science programs greatly increased

Another close-up of Sputnik

SputnikMissile on the launch pad: In the late 1950s, the US had all kinds of trouble perfecting missile technology

Sputnik’s Impact

Capture from clip on the impact of Sputnik