10) Cold War Rivalries Flashcards
what is a hydrogen/thermonuclear bomb
lithium based h-bomb that was 1,500 times more powerful than the original nuclear bombs
US: November 1952
USSR: November 1955
what is an ICBM
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, a nuclear warhead delivery system with a range of 5,600km
US: July 1959
USSR: August 1957
Lithium Bomb in the USA and USSR
USSR developed the lithium bomb faster than the US
USSR: August 1953
USA: March 1954
What was the Strategic air command (SAC)
a unified command plan charged with planning, organisation, training, equipping, administrating and preparing the air force
controlled the US nuclear weapons, their bombers and the production of both
When did SAC start its own unauthorised flights over the USSR
1950 in B-29 bombers, when Truman found out, he banned them because he feared it could provoke a full-scale Soviet response
Curtis LeMay
Leader of the SAC from 1948-57
supported the idea of a pre-emptive strike against the USSR and emphasized the need for permanent readiness in the nuclear age. Wanted SAC to have such an overwhelming strength no one would dare attack the US
‘turned the threatened use of offensive weapons into a strategy of defence
Soviets and their first nuclear bomb
the bomb was surprisingly successful
got the bomb way before the CIA predicted they would, this is due to the fact that by the end of August 1945, Stalin had already organised a plan to create their own bomb
how did the soviets development the bomb so quickly
Use of secrets passed by spies like Karl Fuchs
Used the Gulag prisoners to mine the uranium ore them
American controversy over the H-bomb
Many scientists originally working on trinity refused to work on the new H-bomb as they argued it was immoral to make such a destructive weapon in peace time (Robert Oppenheimer) however, other scientists argued that there was a race on (with the Soviets) and that the American gov must “push ahead” otherwise the American public would be left vulnerable to soviet superiority, in the end Truman gave the green light to the project and, arguably, started the arms race
Race for the H-bomb
while the US detonated the first H-bomb November 1952, 1000x more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the advantage did not last for long as the Soviets detonated, although a smaller, thermonuclear bomb showing they had caught up quickly November 1955. Moreover, the bomb was lithium based, making more efficient and was something the Americans were yet to create
why were U-2 spy planes used
SAC flights over USSR
single seat, high altitude (75,000 metres) meaning they were out of range of anti-aircraft defence. They carried cameras and electronic equipment to monitor radio and radar transmissions
what did the U-2 flyovers reveal
the the soviets were FAR behind in the nuclear arms and bomber race, so while they had technology like the Tu-95 Bison bomber, they didn’t have the numbers to match the USA
Proved the bomber gap to be in the USA’s favour, however since this knowledge was collected via espionage, it could not be revealed to the public
the bomber gap
Fear in Gov: U-2 spy planes photographed a soviet air base full of Tu-95 Bison bombers (range long enough to drop a bomb on the US soil)
Fear in public: Soviets displayed their new Tu-95 Bison bomber at the Moscow Air Show of 1955
The Gaither report
November 1957
a report requested by Eisenhower
reported that there was a real gap between US and soviet technology in the favour of the USSR
Called for increased funding for SAC and an increase in the US missile force
published during the peak of the arms race
soviets recently test first ICBM
impact of the Gaither report
Although its contents was not true (proved by U2) it leaked to the press a month later and resulted in huge public hysteria and resulted in things like practice air raids and crash programmes for building nuclear shelters
tension only highted by the successful launch of sputnik the following month
