Foreign Developments: Relationship with the USA Flashcards
What was the ‘Special Relationship’? What did it offer?
UK relationship with the USA offering financial benefits
What was a mistake Churchill made with the Special Relationship in post-war era?
He overestimated how much the USA would get back to how it was before WWII
What is an example of Churchill acting this way?
1953 talks in Bermuda showed Eisenhower’s impatience with Churchill’s talking
What did Churchill try and do to reduce Cold War tensions?
Tried to bring the USA and USSR together in a conference
How did America feel about Churchill’s peace conference he was trying to organize? What was the result of the conference?
America felt it would not be effective. The conference never happened
How did Eden affect the ‘Special Relationship’? What year?
He damaged it due to the Suez Crisis of 1956
What did Eden’s handling of the Special Relationship show?
America was vital to keeping Britain’s economy afloat
What was Macmillans primary foreign goal when becoming PM?
Restoring the Special Relationship after Suez
By what time had Macmillan improved the special relationship after Suez? (To the month)
March 1957
What did Macmillan and Eisenhower agree in March 1957?
They would share the control of nuclear missiles
Who took over as President after Eisenhower?
John F Kennedy
Which nation did Britain get Polaris missiles from?
America
What year did Britain get Polaris missles from America?
1962
Which missile program had Britain started in 1957?
Blue Streak Missile program
What did Britain achieve in 1957 with the hydrogen bomb?
They successfully tested their own hydrogen bomb
What year did Macmillan visit Moscow?
1959
What could be argued with Khrushchev after Macmillan’s 1959 Moscow visit?
Khrushchev did not push for a removal of Western nations from Berlin further
What happened to the Blue Streak missile program in 1960?
It was cancelled
What did Kennedy say about Britain’s authority with the Polaris missiles they had bought?
Britain could only use them if the USA were going to use them
What role did Macmillan have on influencing JFK to take nuclear missiles out of Turkey?
He did not have a role in it
What nuclear missiles did Macmillan buy from the USA?
Polaris nuclear missiles
How did Kennedy interact with Macmillan during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Kennedy called Macmillan a few times
What did a 1957 White Paper commit Britain to militarily?
Having a larger nuclear force than soldier force
What did Macmillan advocate for in terms of a conference? What year?
Macmillan advocated for a peace conference for the Cold War in 1960
What was the result of the 1960 Peace Conference?
It did not happen as the U2 Crisis occurred 2 weeks before
What month of 1964 did Douglas-Home have talks with President Johnson? How successful were they?
February 1964, they were partially successful
What was difficult for Home in developing the relationship?
The new President, Johnson, didn’t feel any inclination to massively help Britain
Why did tensions with the USA deepen when Home was Prime Minister in relation to Cuba?
Britain refused to block sales of Leyland Buses to Cuba
What did the USA want Britain to do in Vietnam? What did Britain do?
Wanted UK to send in troops. They did not
