Fallout Shelters and A Man on the Moon

Nuclear Holocaust? After the Soviets acquired the atomic bomb, Americans became highly paranoid about the potential for a nuclear attack against the US

Fallout Shelters Many families constructed special underground bunkers which they stocked with food, water, and other essentials in case of an attack Cities also designated subway tunnels and other reinforced underground structures as public shelters

“Duck and Cover” Students were taught to “duck and cover” in the event of a surprise attack through training films and special drills While such efforts reassured the public, in reality they offered little, if any, real protection in the event of an actual nuclear attack

National Security Act of 1947 Merged the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the newly created Department of Defense Turned the US Army Air Force into a separate military branch (the US Air Force) Created the National Security Council, a centralized advisory body to the president on national security issues Created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to gather intelligence on foreign governments

Selective Service Act of 1951 After WWII, the government decided to not end the military draft, due to the potential threat presented by the Soviets In 1951, the draft’s parameters were adjusted to include only men between the ages of 18 – 26 and change the time of enlistment to 21 months

Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 Authorized the spending of $25 billion in federal funds to build 41,000 miles of highways over a period of 20 years Interstate highways were built in order to allow the speedy movement of troops and supplies around the country in case of invasion or other national emergency

The Military-Industrial Complex In Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, he warned against unchecked military spending, stating “we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex” Essentially, Eisenhower was warning that defense contractors were becoming too friendly with the military high command, creating a conflict of interest where their profits were more important than what was in the best interests of the nation

Loyalty Review Program 1947 – 1951 Created by President Truman to screen all federal employees and remove those who showed signs of communist sympathies 6 million employees were screened, with about 14,000 investigated more thoroughly by the FBI Only 212 were actually identified as having “questionable loyalty” and fired

HUAC House Un-American Activities Committee 1938 – 1975 Became a permanent committee in 1945 Tasked with investigating “any suspected threats of subversion or propaganda that attack the form of government guaranteed by our Constitution.” In 1947, at the urging of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, HUAC began holding public hearings aimed at rooting out high-profile communists

Communism in Hollywood HUAC first began to investigate suspected communists within the entertainment industry, issuing hundreds of subpoenas to testify One group refused, and came to be known as the “Hollywood Ten.” They were convicted of contempt and imprisoned, after which they were unable to find work in Hollywood Hundreds of artists, including icons such as Charlie Chaplin, were “blacklisted” or deliberately denied employment as suspected communists

Alger Hiss 1904 – 1996 High-ranking State Department official who was accused of being a Soviet spy Could not be convicted of espionage, but was convicted of perjury (lying under oath) for his supposedly false testimony before HUAC in 1950 Spent nearly 4 years in prison, even though his case was extremely controversial and the evidence was suspect

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg American couple accused of helping the Soviets acquire information on the American atomic bomb program Convicted of treason in a highly controversial trial, both were sentenced to death and were executed simultaneously via electric chair Evidence later surfaced showing that while Julius was most likely guilty, many historians still doubt Ethel’s involvement

Joe McCarthy 1908 – 1957 Senator from Wisconsin Claimed in 1950 to have a secret list of members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring within the US State Department Went on to make other claims about communists in the Army, even going so far as to accuse former Sec. of State George Marshall of communist sympathies

McCarthyism McCarthy’s claims led to widespread hysteria over the supposed level of communist infiltration into the US government Eventually, however, when McCarthy could not produce any valid evidence, he was censured by the Senate and died just 3 years later from complications from alcoholism

McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 Legislation which required all Communist Party members and organizations to register with the US Attorney General’s office Banned communists from getting passports and traveling abroad In cases of national emergency, it provided for the arrest and detention of communists Vetoed by Truman, but Congress overrode his veto Much of the Act has since been declared unconstitutional or repealed

The Space Race Both the US and USSR had captured German rocket scientists at the end of WWII and were pursuing missile technologies Starting in 1957, these technologies were used to compete against each other for control of outer space – a multi-billion dollar “space race” to see who could accomplish certain objectives or discoveries first

ICBMs Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles The development of missile technologies allowed both sides to mount atomic warheads onto long-range rockets which could be launched against distant targets

Sputnik The first man-made object to attain orbit around the earth (satellite) Sputnik I launched by the Soviets in Oct. 1957, followed by Sputnik II (which carried the first living creature into space, a dog named Laika) in November These launches triggered a panic in the US, as Americans worried that the Soviets were gaining a technological advantage over the US

National Defense Education Act of 1958 Law which provided for dramatically increased spending on education, especially in science, math, and foreign languages Passed in response to the belief that the US was falling behind the Soviets in scientific and technological fields Increased the number of high-school graduates who went on to college from less than 15% in 1950 to over 40% by 1970

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration Created in 1958 Civilian agency which was created to take over space exploration programs from the various military branches to increase coordination and efficiency

Yuri Gagarin 1934 – 1968 Soviet “cosmonaut” who became the first man in space in April of 1961 Declared a “Hero of the Soviet Union,” he was never allowed to return to space due to his value as an instrument of propaganda; instead, he was sent on a world tour to promote Soviet superiority Ironically, he later died in a plane crash

Project Mercury 1959 – 1963 NASA’s first program designed to put an American in space Capsule could carry only a single astronaut Cost $384 million, but succeeded at getting the US’ manned space program off the ground

John Glenn 1921 – Present US Marine pilot who became the first American to orbit the earth in 1962 Went on to serve as US Senator from Ohio from 1974 – 1999 In 1998, became the oldest person to fly in space when he took part in a shuttle mission at age 77

Kennedy Targets the Moon “[We] commit … before this decade is out, to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth … But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? …We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win”

Project Gemini 1965 – 1966 Could carry 2 astronauts 10 manned flights cost $5.4 billion Purpose was to develop the technologies that would be needed to make longer space flights possible (such as a trip to the moon and back)

Apollo Program Series of 6 manned missions to the moon between 1969 and 1972 Each Apollo craft carried 3 astronauts Suffered two major accidents: during the Apollo I training exercise in 1967, 3 astronauts died in an oxygen fire, and an explosion onboard Apollo 13 forced the crew to abort the mission Cost $25.4 billion

“The Eagle has landed” July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 became the first manned-mission to land on the moon after a 4 day journey Represented a major victory for the US, since we had finally surpassed Soviet achievement in space (to this day, no other nation has landed astronauts on the moon)

Neil Armstrong 1930 – Present The first of only 12 men to walk on the moon Former Navy pilot and Korean War veteran, Armstrong retired from NASA almost immediately after returning from the moon and became a college professor

“That’s one small step for a man …” “… one giant leap for mankind.” After the success of the Apollo program, Americans tired of the “space race” – we had clearly beaten the Soviets and Americans were now distracted by more “down to earth” matters such as the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, and Watergate