Effects of the cold war—wider military/economic presence; paranoia over “Reds”; reliance on military-industrial-university complex
The Rise of the Cold WarAmericans fear Soviet intentions—why?
What were Soviet ambitions?—peaceful or aggressive along its power fringes? suspicions justified?
Roots of the cold war—Communism used violence, purges, terror; renounced religion and property; made shady deals (non-aggression pact w/ Hitler)
Munich analogy—no more appeasing dictators
George Kennan’s long telegram—“containment”: diplomatic, economic, military
George Kennan,
charge d’ affaires in
Moscow embassy,
who wrote the telegram
that changed attitudes
about the Soviet Union.
The Iranian crisis—gateway to oil, so get Soviets out
Aid to Greece and Turkey—help against
totalitarian takeover: Truman Doctrine (help free people
from totalitarianism)
Communism in Hungary and Czechoslovakia—Soviet manipulation begins “Eastern Bloc”
Berlin Airlift—Soviet blockade over flown
George C. Marshall, chairman of joint chiefs of staff during WWII and secretary of state for Truman, who formulated the Marshall Plan.
Berlin school children
celebrate the arrival of food
supplies during the Berlin Airlift.
East German guard defects over barrier to escape
communism.
NATO formed—first entangling alliance in American History—why?
Israel recognized—WWII creates worldwide (except for Arabs) sympathy for homeland
The Atomic Energy Commission—civilian or military control of nuclear science
Baruch plan—U.N. influence over atomic energy must be U.S. dominated: take it or leave it—Soviets leave it in pursuit of their own bomb
Bernard Baruch
Symbol of NATO.
Postwar ProsperitySources of prosperity—unbridled consumers after years of depression and war; government spending: health, education, defense
Minority workers—“last hired, first fired” to make room for returning soldiers
American G.I. Forum—Hispanic soldier in segregated cemetery?—Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson intervenes
Black veterans and civil rights—new energy in fight against segregation
To secure these rights—Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights report; Southern Senators stand against segregation reform; Truman integrates armed forces
Organized labor—peacetime conversion brings fewer hours, lower wages, strikes
Taft-Hartley Act—90-day cool-offs,
states can adopt right-to-work laws with no closed shops
The GI Bill—tuition, fees, living
expenses or a mortgage transform nation
Henry Wallace—not enough New Deal
Dixiecrats—southern segregationalists
Truman fights back—that “do-nothing
80th Congress”; “Give ‘em hell, Harry”
Young WWII veterans registering for college classes
paid for by the GI Bill.
FDR and Truman with
Henry Wallace
behind and Strom
Thurmond (inset).
Truman with the paper
that announced his defeat.
END OF READING
The Cold War at HomeConservative anticommunism—New Deal was “creeping socialism”: next thing is communism
The H-bomb—since Soviets have A-bomb, we need H-bomb
China falls to Communists—whose fault?
The Hiss case
Chiang Kai-shek (above) and Mao
Zedong.
Whitaker Chambers testifying in the Hiss case; Nixon was Hiss’s arch-
enemy; Hiss.
Loyalty Review Board—no “Reds,
phonies and parlor pinks” witch hunt
Blacklisting—“suspects” automatically
unemployable
McCarran Act—communist registration, no totalitarian affiliation for citizenship, indefinite alien detention
The Hollywood Ten.
Senator “Jolting Joe” or “Tail Gunner Joe” McCarthy and his
hatchet man, assistant Roy Cohn, grilling a witness on a
probably groundless accusation in a Senate
committee hearing.
From Cold War to Hot War and Back
NSC-68–“strive for
victory” rather than containment—Korea jump-starts plan
The North Korean invasion—“police action”
Europe, not Asia first--Truman vs. McArthur world views
Moderates like “Ike”—Taft too conservative; Nixon Veep for conservative Republicans
Nixon’s Checkers Speech– “slush fund”?— “We’re keeping Tricia’s dog” and the coat
Truman meets with MacArthur on Wake Island during the Korean
War. Truman eventually fired his insubordinate general.
War hero Dwight Eisenhower runs for President; his running mate Richard Nixon makes his “Checkers Speech”
on TV.
Eisenhower and Korea—threatened
retaliation spurred peace settlement (1953—54,000)
The case of J. Robert Oppenheimer—barred from
research for opposing H-bomb and slightly pink past
McCarthy versus the army—Army Secretary:
“Have you no shame?”; TV audience sees him for who he is
J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Eisenhower visiting and eating with the
troops in Korea.