Essay on The Cold War - 1121 Words

The Cold War The irrational fear of Soviet invasion gripped our country for over 35 years. That fear led to the upper echelons of authority making decisions, which would create a feeling of near hysteria throughout the public. Americans feared that the Soviets were planning some nuclear attacks on the States, and were frightened by the thought that the Soviets might have a lead in the arms race. The words â€Å"race† and â€Å"gap† came to be used everyday when referring to anything the Soviets created, and Americans felt that the â€Å"gap† which kept America on top of the arms â€Å"race† needed to remain a â€Å"gap†. With our submarines constantly finding new ways to tap into Soviet intelligence, it seemed that America did, in fact, have the upper hand.†¦show more content†¦The first reference is on page 194: â€Å"On October 9, 1969, the New York Times ran a front-page story headlined ‘New Soviet Subs Noisier Than Expected.’† Th e second reference is on page 273, when the NYT ran a five-column, three line headline: â€Å"CIA Salvage Ship Brought up Part of Soviet Sub Lost in 1968, Failed to Raise Atom Missiles.† These newspaper headlines were what Americans were reading everyday, leading to the fear that Soviets might have the one-up on warfare vehicles, or that they would salvage those missiles and use them against America. Also, if Americans could read so freely about what was happening with the military, the Russians could very easily be reading the same thing. Once again, the fear that Russians would use this knowledge against us was widespread. There were reports that the Soviet Union was racing to build its own atomic bombs, and there seemed no doubt that the Soviets were â€Å"out to make a grab for world dominance.† (Sontag, 5) â€Å"This was the atmosphere of mistrust that gave birth to the Central Intelligence Agency and plunged its agents into an immediate duel with Soviet spies. This was the era of fear that inspired the West to once again join forces, now as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And all of this was the inspiration for the blind man’s challenge, the call for submariners in windowless cylinders to dive deep into a new role thatShow MoreRelatedThe War Of The Cold War1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cold War was a state of political and military tension stemming f rom World War II fought primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union. 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