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 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? 1 st Hydrogen bomb Used fusion instead of fission 5xs hotter than center of Sun Created 1 mile crater Right: ‘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 –1 st NATO Commander Grandfather figure Knowledgeable in foreign affairs Republican trustworthy President 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 U2 Capture from clip on the U2 affair

U2 Presentation Photo of a U2 spy plane

The U2 Incident Second U2 clip

What are the dangers with the “New Look” policy? Leaves only 2 options –Nuclear war –Do nothing Created Arms race –Soviets tested 1 st 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? 1 st 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

Sputnik Missile 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