The Cold War The Roots of the Cold

The Cold War: The Roots of the Cold War in WWII Ideological issues Conflicting economic systems Fundamental misunderstandings and misconceptions Issues of the 2 nd front Stalin’s distrust intensifies with Truman, after the bomb

Conflict over Eastern European “buffer zone, ” division of Germany and Berlin • Stalin sees US as out to destroy him and the Soviet Union

U. S. sees U. S. S. R. as trying to take over the world • Manifests as U. S. fear of spread of communism, fear of returning eco slump, • Cold War provides incentive to stay on a permanent war economy. • Containment, The Long Telegram & George Kennan (Mr. X) introduced concepts that became the foundation of American Cold War policy: – The USSR perceived itself at perpetual war with capitalism; – The systems of socialism and social democracy were incompatible; – The USSR would use controllable Marxists in the capitalist world as allies; – Soviet aggression was fundamentally not aligned with the views of the Russian people or with economic reality, but in historic Russian xenophobia and paranoia; – The Soviet government's structure prohibited objective or accurate pictures of internal and external reality. • National Security Act of 1947 -Joint Chiefs of Staff, CIA

Economic Warfare • Truman Doctrine, first in Greece and Turkey • Marshall Plan • $ not offered to communist countries • Bretton Woods systemestablish the U. S. dollar as the dominant currency, fixed on a gold standard. Links all foreign currency to the value of the dollar • Est. IMF and World Bank. Initially functions to encourage capitalism (U. S. style) and hurt communism. Later w/r/t 3 rd world, hurts nationalist movements.

1948 Berlin Blockage, Air Lift • First post WWII “test” of the Cold War. • Soviets back down. • Seen as triumph by U. S. (later historians will see this as further proof that Stalin wasn’t trying to spread communism out of E. bloc)

• NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1 st nonwartime treaty) • Warsaw Pact

Domestic Policy under Truman • G. I. Bill of Rights - $ for education, vocational training, medical treatment, and home and business loans. • Baby boom from war’s end until early 60’s. • Huge jump in American middle class. • Reaffirm traditional views of masculinity and femininity • Anti-lynching and anti-poll tax legislation • Desegregation of U. S. military.

Truman wins reelection in 1948 • • 1949 -U. S. S. R. has the bomb China becomes Communist. After WWII, 2 factions in China Nationalists (Kuomintang) under Chang Kai-shek and Communists under Mao Zedong. • U. S. gov’t and business supported Chang, assured Truman Nationalists would triumph (China lobby), military said Mao would win. Truman believed China lobby, China goes communist, Chang gov’t flees to Formosa. U. S. refuses to recognize Chairman Mao’s gov’t. • U. S. public-“Truman lost China. ” • 1950 -China and USSR sign mutual defense treaty. Misunderstanding of alliance.

The 2 nd Red Scare • Hiss/Chambers case. • HUAC - House Un-American Activities Committee • Hollywood Ten • Reagan and SAG

Mc. Carthyism • • Senator Joseph Mc. Carthy. Federal Employees Loyalty and Security Program. Red Scare turns into Lavender Scare. “Blacklisting” - Communist label functioned to stigmatize and remove competition. • Various results-conservative turn to country and gov’t (by the time we’re deep in Vietnam, everyone who knew anything about it had been driven out of gov’t)

The Rosenbergs, Julius and Ethel • Arrested 1950 • Trial March of 1951 (less than 1 month). • Both found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage, given death sentences. • Appeals, stays, etc… • June 1953 -exectued by electric chair. • Last Americans executed for espionage. • Looks like Julius was probably guilty, Ethel innocent.

NSC-68 • National Security Council Paper # 68 • Sets up ideology of Cold War as total war, with only two sides “with us or against us. ” • Use eco, psychological, etc… warfare to win. • Use Soviet threat to support U. S. global hegemony (control, authority). • Internal readiness program.

Korea • -“last straw” for Truman. • After WWII, Korea split. North, communist under Kim Il Sung (Kim Jong Il’s father), South, nominally democratic, under Syngman Rhee. • June 1950 -North invades South, pushes Southern forces to Pusan. • Truman takes issue to UN, resolution to push Northern forces out of South, “police action. ” • Gen Mac. Arthur-surprise attack, pushes Northern forces back to 38 th parallel, Mac. Arthur pushes past it (into N. territory). • Truman says its okay as long as China or USSR not going to intervene. Mac. Arthur says they won’t, promises war’s end by Xmas.

Korea • Mac. Arthur pushes to within sight of Chinese border. Told to stop. Makes noise about engaging China, overthrowing Red gov’t. China sends massive amounts of troops, engage in October. • Thanksgiving-250, 000 Chinese cross Yalu River, Allied forces in retreat. Mac. Arthur begins blaming Washington. • Under Ridgeway, push back to 38 th parallel. Mac. Arthur begins talking about massive air attacks on China, invading, using nuclear waste as a weapon, etc… • Truman eventually fires Mac. Arthur. He returns home to a hero’s welcome • Truman’s popularity plummets.

Election of 1952 • Adlai Stevenson (D) defeated by Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower (R).

Ike’s take on the Cold War • As a conservative he wanted to decrease taxes and gov’t spending. • Military emphasis on technology instead of manpower. • Bomber gap, missile gap • Forms of Containment: Domino theory and brinkmanship. • Sec. of State John Foster Dulles and brother Allen, head of CIA.

Ike’s legacy of CIA interventions • 1953 -Iran. Mossadegh, the Shah, allegations of communism, “helping” Iran. All about the oil. • 1954 -Guatemala. CIA overthrow Arbenz. Nationalizing UFCo (United Fruit Company) lands. Painted as a communist. • Castillo-Armas supported by U. S. , est. military dictatorship. Undoes Arbenz’s reforms, massive repression of indigenous people (Maya, among others), mass killings. (Che Guevara had gone to Guatemala to help support Arbenz’s govt)

U. S. ideology • Strong regimes are better than liberal gov’ts, for keeping communism out and to protect U. S. investments and sources of raw materials • According to NSC 68, if they weren’t with the U. S. , they must be communists • By 1954, 13 of the 20 countries in Latin America were under U. S. -friendly military dictatorships. • School of the Americas founded (Panama, Ft. Benning) trained military, police in repression, torture, etc… U. S. army consistently denied existence, but basically confirmed by the 1990 s. • CIA secret experiments with chemical and biological warfare. Ex: Trying to make “super soldiers”- LSD experiments

The U-2 debacle • Secret spy plane the CIA was flying over USSR. Soviets shot it down. • U. S. denied it was a spy plane-said it was a weather monitoring plane. • USSR released pics of the plane and the captured pilot. • U. S. would never admit it was a spy plane, severely hurt US/Soviet relations.

Cuba • Under U. S. control since Spanish-Am war. • Legit and mafia investments in Cuba-Havana as playground for wealthy Americans. • Meanwhile the average Cuban got poorer and poorer. • U. S. supported repressive dictator Fulgencio Batista. • 1956 -first attempt at a revolution, violently suppressed. Many killed, others jailed, including Fidel Castro. Exiled to Mexico. Traveled to drum up support (and $) for revolution. • December 2, 1956, Castro and 82 others aboard the Granma landed in Cuba. Their numbers were quickly reduced by Batista's soldiers, but most of the important leaders (Fidel and Raul Castro, Che Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos) made their way into the Sierra Maestra mountains, which became the base for their rebellion.

Castro’s Revolution • Depended on rural Cubans for support, and to hide them, which they did. • Batista’s gov’t sent troops into the mountains after them, and although they were badly outnumbered and undersupplied, they were not caught and inflicted heavy casualties on Batista’s forces. • Had the support of the common people. • Knew their terrain, used guerilla warfare. • Used women to sneak supplies and ammunition to rebels.

The Mariana Grajales • At Castro’s suggestion (although most others disagreed) formed all-female combat platoon. • Staff thought it was a bad idea, asked why women should be given weapons when there were shortages. • Castro-they are better fighters and more disciplined. Also fond of saying “‘A people whose women fight alongside men – that people is invincible’. • Platoon was formed and quickly earned the respect of male compatriots. • One of these women was 15 year old Te. Té Puebla, who is now a Brigadier General and the highest ranking woman in the Cuban Army.

• Cuban revolutionary force grew from popular support, military units headed by Guevara and Cienfuegos came down from the mountains, engaged and defeated larger Batista forces. • Batista saw the end was coming and fled

Castro marched into and took Havana, Jan. 1, 1959.

Castro’s Government • Nationalist first, not immediately a communist. • Began nationalizing foreign owned companies, utilities, property. • Asked U. S. for aid. • U. S. refused and began covert attempts to assassinate Castro • Also began training Cuban exiles in Guatemala for a planned invasion.

Back at home, the Red Scare and Mc. Carthyism continued • Ike did not do much to stop them and at times actually benefited from Mc. Carthyism. • Did not interfere when Mc. Carthy went after Truman’s appointees, or other federal employees he didn’t like. • “Witch hunts” • Ike finally got involved when Mc. Carthy accused the army of being infiltrated by communists.

Army-Mc. Carthy Hearings • Finally showed Mc. Carthy’s weaknesses. • Nationally televised live-Mc. Carthy was definitely drunk, possible on heroin. Mc. Carthy’s downfall and end of Red Scare. “Good Night and Good Luck”