Eisenhower And The Cold War

[Music] [Music] Korea it was a different kind of War one that would not bring total Victory to either side American troops under the command of the United Nations and led by General Douglas MacArthur finally trapped thousands of North Koreans in a successful invasion of inchan the Communists retreated above the 38th parallel the United Nations gave MacArthur permission to pursue the fleeing armies toward the yalu river the boundary separating North Korea and [Music] manua China's foreign minister Joe en Li warned that his country would not tolerate an invasion of North Korea alarmed at the prospect of a massive Chinese Counterattack President Truman flew to Wake Island to meet with General MacArthur the general convinced Truman the Chinese would not intervene but he was wrong Chinese troops soon drove the UN forces back below the 38th parallel and by the spring of 1951 both sides were bogged down in what was to become a demoralizing stalemate determined to keep Korea a limited conflict Truman refused MacArthur's request for weapons to bomb Chinese bases across the yalo and eventually recall the American Commander from Korea Truman embarked on peace negotiations but the process was slow and demanding in 1952 General Dwight Eisenhower the Republican presidential candidate announced that if elected he would go to Korea to break the stalemate the Democratic candidate adlay Stevenson could not match Eisenhower's immense popularity Eisenhower visited Korea shortly before taking office on his return He issued a statement that suggested an even harder line if a truce were not quickly [Music] negotiated the Communists resumed talks and finally signed an arm on July 27th 1953 which preserved the status quo of a divided Korea Truman's containment policy had worked but at the expense of 142,000 American [Music] lives Eisenhower Secretary of State John Foster Dulles brought a new aggressiveness to the Cold War during the 1952 election campaign The Liberation of captive peoples under under communist domination had been one of the Republican party's foreign policy planks dullas believed the Communists could be held in check by threats of massive retaliation against Moscow and [Music] ping the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb a weapon more powerful than the atomic bomb but within a year the Russians had successfully tested their own thermonuclear weapon resulting in a nuclear St hand off yet threatening language continued on both [Music] sides brinkmanship was another of dulles's controversial doctrines America he said should not hesitate to go to the very brink of War if necessary yet on several crucial occasions Eisenhower refused to risk a shooting war in 1953 East Berlin workers rioted against their communist government their appeal to the United States for help went unheeded even though dullas had made a radio address to the people of Eastern Europe suggesting they could count on American Support despite dulles's aggressive rhetoric Eisenhower was a cautious and moderate man an experienced military leader who had been swept into office on his pledge to bring peace to the country at the same time Stalin's death in 1953 suggested greater flexibility in Russia's foreign Poli policy his successor Nikita kusf seemed more willing to seek influence through political rather than military means while the Soviets continued efforts to solidify their control of Eastern Europe and to extend their power in Germany they spoke of peaceful coexistence Eisenhower too extended the olive branch the United States pledges before you and therefore before the world it's determination to help solve the fearful Atomic dilemma in a dramatic appearance before the United Nations he proposed sharing atomic energy for peaceful and Industrial purposes with all interested Nations including Russia the United States would make its Atomic materials available through a newly created International agency 3 years later Eisenhower saw his Atoms for Peace plan become a reality 70 Nations including Russia and other communist countries signed an agreement that created an international atomic energy agency but International tensions continued particularly in the Far East with China now a communist state every effort was being made to keep the rest of Asia in the western camp in Vietnam America had been supplying French garrisons with military aid since 1950 China was supplying the Communists who had surrounded thousands of the best French troops in a military Garrison at the NBN FU by the spring of 1954 the French position seemed hopeless the French Chief of Staff appeared in Washington to plead for direct military intervention Eisenhower just four weeks earlier had warned that the Takeover of one Southeast Asian country by Communists could start a chain reaction that would pull them all down like a row of dominoes yet Eisenhower refused to send troops the NBN Fu fell and the French accepted a compromise settlement which was signed at Geneva by China Great Britain and Russia the agreement divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel in the north hoi Min became head of the new communist state in the South the emperor Bai ruled briefly until he was overthrown by his prime minister Ino in DM DM's government was quickly recognized and supported by the United States other Asian trouble spots included kimoy Matsu and the tens a small group of islands off the coast of mainland China they had been occupied by Jang KK's nationalist troops when Jang had retreated to Formosa now jang's forces were engaged in a continuing artillery duel with Mainland troops when the Communists began to occupy the tens Jang troops with the help of the United States Navy evacuated the islands on January 24th 1955 as the situation grew more dangerous Eisenhower went before Congress and requested authority to use Force to protect the Nationalist Chinese Congress responded quickly and the United States seventh fleet was stationed between fosa and Mainland China the fleet was withdrawn when tensions eased but the status of the offshore Islands was left unsettled in another effort to ease World tensions Eisenhower prime minister Anthony Eden of Great Britain Premier 4 of France and the co-heads of Russia Nikita kushev and Nikolai bulanan met in Geneva in July 1955 to discuss disarmament and the reunification of East and West Germany Eisenhower surprised the World by suggesting that Russia and the United States open their Skies to one another for the purpose of aerial photography this form of arms inspection would protect each country from surprise attack although the open Skies proposal appeared acceptable to the Russians at first they later rejected it on the grounds that it would be an invasion of their Sovereign territory there were no significant agreements at Geneva but the spirit of Geneva did lead to a temporary thawing of the Cold War another optimistic note was struck by kushev early in 1956 when he denounced Stalin for his brutal Rule and declared that war with the capitalistic States was not inevitable people in the satellite nations of Poland and Hungary began to reappraise their country's relationships with Russia in Poland riots were quickly put down but the polls won considerable internal Freedom From Russia as a result taking their J from the poles the hungarians launched an anti-communist Revolution they succeeded in overthrowing the [Music] government within days 200,000 Russian troops invaded Hungary to brutally put down the [Music] rebellion in the final days of fighting the hungarians broadcast appeals to the United Nations and United States for help none came in answer to critics of America's foreign policies Eisenhower stated that Liberation as defined by Secretary of State Dulles had never meant armed Revolt America's Prestige lost by Eisenhower's handling of the Hungarian crisis was more than regained during a new crisis that quickly arose in the Middle East Colonel Nasser head of the new revolutionary government of Egypt refused to join an alliance promoted by the United States believing it a plot to divide the Muslim countries in addition angered by America's refusal to sell Egypt arms he turned to Russia for military supplies the final break with the United States came when NASA recognized communist China dullas reacted by withdrawing America's pledge of financial aid for Egypt's Aswan Dam a week later NASA nationalized the Suez Canal France and Britain had long considered the canal their economic Lifeline to the Far East when a compromised settlement was vetoed by Russia in the United Nations security Council France and Britain moved to retake the canal by force at the same time Israel attacked Egypt moving her armor across the Sinai [Music] Peninsula America's longtime allies France and Britain had not informed Eisenhower of their plan in advance the angry president demanded they cease fire kushev applied equal pressure by threatening to send in Russian volunteers with World opinion against him prime minister Eden announced a ceasefire and a withdrawal a United Nations emergency Force moved into the area and the immediate crisis passed Eisenhower's firm stand won the respect of many of the Arab Nations he then moved to secure his advantage on January 5th 1957 he went before Congress to ask for the means to counter communist infiltration in the Middle East the result was the Eisenhower Doctrine this gave the president authority to send financial and military aid to any Mid Eastern country requesting it for help against communist aggression this Authority was used in 1958 when the pro-western government of Lebanon was attacked by NASA supporters Eisenhower sent American Marines onto the beaches of Lebanon to guarantee its security as the Cold War spread from Europe to the Middle East it also spread to Latin America the United States was stunned at the extent of anti-American sentiment expressed during a Goodwill Tour by vice president Richard Nixon Nixon was met by open hostility mobbed and pelted with eggs and Stones wherever he went just 90 Mi off the Florida coast Cuba's dictator B ISTA was overthrown in January 1959 and power was assumed by Fidel Castro strongly anti-American Castro surprised the United States by announcing that he was setting up a socialist State he confiscated American property and moved to suppress all opposition the most threatening aspect of Castro's regime was the move to export his Revolution to other Latin American countries at the end of his second term Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with Cuba another problem Island one set in the midst of a communist state was the city of West Berlin in November 1958 kushev announced that if the status of West Berlin were not resolved within 6 months Russia would make A Separate Peace with East Germany this would give control of the city to the Russian supported State the Allies were alarmed but stood United against this new crisis slowly kushev backed down and the Russians suggested another Summit meeting kev's dramatic visit to the United States and Eisenhower's promise of a return visit were cautious moves toward closer communication but just before a scheduled Paris Summit meeting the Russians shot down an American U2 spy plane deep in Russian territory in an unprecedented disclosure Eisenhower admitted that American spy planes had been flying over Russia since 1956 kushev bitterly attacked Eisenhower and angrily canell the Paris meeting as Eisenhower's second term Drew to a close efforts on both sides to moderate the Cold War appeared to have failed in a period of international crisis Eisenhower had kept his campaign promise to maintain peace but many issues remained unsettled and Communism had spread to new troubl spots around the world [Music] let [Music]