28.7 Eisenhower Wages the Cold War

1. Who was John Foster Dulles, and why did he move the US toward the policy of “massive retaliation”?

• Ike’s Sec of State• Why Massive Retaliation?– Because Ike wanted to cut back on defense

spending in the Army and Navy, we should rely on the Air Force and their nuclear striking power

– Use the threat of nuclear weapons to continue Truman’s policy of containment to stop communist aggression

– It will avoid limited wars such as Korea

2. How did the US respond to the French predicament at Dien Bien Phu?

• Indochina – (later Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam – 1954)• Although the US had given military and economic aid to the

French against the vietminh (communists led by Ho Chi Minh), we do not send armed forces

• China was supporting Ho and surrounded French troops at Dien Bien Phu.

• The French turned to the US for help, but we refuse• DBP falls to Ho in May of 1954• Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel with provisions for

unification in two years– Ho = North– French = S

3. How did Dulles handle the Chinese crises in the mid 1950s?

• He decided to try to drive a bigger wedge b/t China and Russia

• 1954 – Crisis in the Formosa Straits – The US pledges to protect Nationalist when Mao starts shelling the islands….we hint at using nuclear weapons…Mao stops

• 1958 – Mao starts again, we hint again, Mao stops• The SU did not come to Mao’s aid, furthering the

rift b/t China and the SU

4. What led to the Suez Crisis of 1956? What position did the US take?

• 1956 – Gamal Nasser (Egypt) seized the Suez Canal• English and French citizens owned the canal company and they

were ready to use force to take it back• Ike wanted to resolve it diplomatically• E and F launched their attack anyway• Ike calls for UN resolution for F and B withdrawal from Egypt• SU jumps on the bandwagon and even threatens attacks of B and F• Ike made it clear he would not tolerate Soviet interference and

hinted at using force to stop them• E and F ended their invasion, Ike won the 56 election, the US

became the main influence in the M. East• Russia sides with Egypt and Syria

5. What role did the CIA play in Iran and Guatemala?

• 1953 – CIA helped overthrow the government in Iran and placed the shah in full control of that country

• American oil companies were happy, but this caused deep-seated animosity b/t the US and Iran

• 1954 – CIA helped overthrow a leftist regime to block communist influence – Latin Am. Resented our interference

6. What was Ike’s policy regarding the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe?

• He supported the liberation of Eastern Europe, but he accepted Soviet domination there

• He refused to act on behalf of East Germans in 1953 or Hungarian freedom fighters in 1956

7. Describe Ike’s attempts to ease the nuclear arms race. Was he successful? (831-832)

• 1953 - Disarmament Speech – Russia ignored• 1953 “Atoms for Peace” – through UN – Russia

ignored• 1955 – “Open Skies” – both countries would be

open to mutual aerial surveillance – Khrushchev dismissed this idea

• 1958 Ike and K agreed on a nuclear test ban that would remain until Ike leaves office

• Tensions b/t the Soviets and the US were not eased

8. How did the US react to the launching of Sputnik (the first artificial satellite to orbit the

earth), in 1957?

• It intensified fears in the US• Many believed that the Russians were several

years ahead of us regarding ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles)

• The US will increase spending on ICBMs and IRBMs)

• K took advantage of our concern with comments such as, “We will bury you, your grandchildren will live under communism”

9. Why did the Paris summit (1960) between Ike and Khrushchev never take place?

• Because a U2 plane, piloted by Francis Gary Powers, was shot down over Soviet airspace

• Ike denies, then takes full responsibility for the incident

• K refuses to meet with Ike again

10. What warning did Ike give the American people before leaving office?

• He warned about the dangers of massive military spending and the growing influence of the military-industrial complex.