Changes

Then, in 1962, the Soviet Union challenged President Kennedy again, whom the communists did not respect.  They installed missiles in Cuba, which the communist Fidel Castro had taken over, and aimed them directly at American cities and targets.  Cuba, a mere 90 miles from Florida, could then destroy American cities in a very short period time.  This created the "Cuban Missile Crisis"; an Air Force general immediately put bombers on high alert for the possible bombing of Cuba.  President Kennedy then ordered a blockade of Cuba until the missiles were removed, and the Soviet Union backed down and apparently took the missiles back by ship.

Then, in 1962, the Soviet Union challenged President Kennedy again, whom the communists did not respect.  They installed missiles in Cuba, which the communist Fidel Castro had taken over, and aimed them directly at American cities and targets.  Cuba, a mere 90 miles from Florida, could then destroy American cities in a very short period time.  This created the "Cuban Missile Crisis"; an Air Force general immediately put bombers on high alert for the possible bombing of Cuba.  President Kennedy then ordered a blockade of Cuba until the missiles were removed, and the Soviet Union backed down and apparently took the missiles back by ship.

Throughout the 1960s, both the United States and Soviet Union built ever-bigger nuclear weapons, pointing them at each other.  This became known as the "arms race," and newspapers began to clamor for peace treaties that would limit the building of these weapons.  In 1972, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treat ("SALT") was ratified by the U.S. Senate and contained promises to reduce these "arms" or weapons pointed at the enemy.  Conservatives opposed this treaty because it embraced the approach of "Mutual Assured Destruction" and prevented each side from building defensive systems.  In addition, there was no way to enforce the communists' side of the bargain; many expected the communists to break their own promises, while the Americans abided by theirs.

Throughout the 1960s, both the United States and the Soviet Union built ever-bigger nuclear weapons, pointing them at each other.  This became known as the "arms race," and newspapers began to clamor for peace treaties that would limit the building of these weapons.  In 1972, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treat ("SALT") was ratified by the U.S. Senate and contained promises to reduce these "arms" or weapons pointed at the enemy.  Conservatives opposed this treaty because it embraced the approach of "Mutual Assured Destruction" and prevented each side from building defensive systems.  In addition, there was no way to enforce the communists' side of the bargain; many expected the communists to break their own promises, while the Americans abided by theirs.

The overriding military strategy of the Cold War became even more dependent on "Mutually Assured Destruction," whereby each side (the U.S. and U.S.S.R.) built more and more nuclear weapons as a deterrent to aggression by the other side.  Under this approach, each side was discouraged from attacking because it could set off a massive nuclear war and assure the mutual destruction of both sides.  This theory, humorously abbreviated as "MAD", lasted from the 1950s to the 1980s, when conservative President Ronald Reagan urged a shift to a more defensive military approach (the Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars) rather than a purely offensive approach (if you attack me, then I'll counterattack and we will both be destroyed).

The overriding military strategy of the Cold War became even more dependent on "Mutually Assured Destruction," whereby each side (the U.S. and U.S.S.R.) built more and more nuclear weapons as a deterrent to aggression by the other side.  Under this approach, each side was discouraged from attacking because it could set off a massive nuclear war and assure the mutual destruction of both sides.  This theory, humorously abbreviated as "MAD", lasted from the 1950s to the 1980s, when conservative President Ronald Reagan urged a shift to a more defensive military approach (the Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars) rather than a purely offensive approach (if you attack me, then I'll counterattack and we will both be destroyed).