The Arms Race

1. Read Source 12. What methods do you think Dulles had in mind to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war?

Dulles was likely thinking about using atomic bombs to "liberate captive peoples." His plan was probably to drop atomic bombs in order to make them submit quickly without full scale war.

2. Look at Source 13. Would you agree that the Communist world was encircled? Explain your answer.

The Communist world was mostly surrounded. The only side of the country that didn't have an opposing country in that direction is the eastern side. The rest of it was surrounded by nations that were members of NATO, SEATO, and CENTO.

3. Carefully examine the verticle timeline on page 343. Then look back at Source 12. Do you think the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulles might have had in mind?

The development of nuclear weapons was probably not what Dulles had in mind. He would have been fairly pleased with the development and progress of the United States, but at some points the USSR has superiority and makes better progress. Dulles couldn't have had that part in mind.

4. Look at Source 16. What is the Soviet cartoon saying about the U-2 plane?

The Soviet cartoon is saying that Eisenhower had been closely watching the Soviet Union through a spyglass using the U-2 planes. It was making Eisenhower look like a sneaky, deceitful leader.

5. Read the Factfile on page 344. Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights.

The USSR was angry about the US spy flights, because they all violated the Soviet air space. Truman didn't allow the flights, but Eisenhower did. The Soviets knew about some of the flights but couldn't do anything about them, and they were an unfair act that was not at all authorized by the USSR.

6. How would the USA justify this violation of Soviet territory?

The USA would justify this violation by arguing that it was for the safety of its people. The US wanted to know what the USSR was capable of and what power it had achieved, otherwise they had no idea what might hit them or when. They could be much more prepared if they knew about the technology that the Soviets possessed.

7. If the USSR had had U-2 planes, do you think it would have used them? Why?

If the USSR had U-2 planes, they would have used them. They already had plenty of spies in the US feeding them information, so they wouldn't have a problem flying spy planes over the US.

8. Look at Source 17. Why do you think the USA had missiles based in Europe?

The USA probably had missiles in Europe because they could launch and hit their target in minutes. The long range ones in the US would take around thirty minutes, and they wouldn't be able to respond to an immediate threat as quickly with those as they could with the short range ones in Europe.

9. Define the term 'nuclear deterrent' in not more than 20 words.

Nuclear Deterrent- possessing nuclear weapons to make another nation afraid to attack with their nuclear weapons.