Chapter 27 Notes, Part II

C. Ike and the Cold War

1. Eisenhower continued Truman’s containment policy
2. As promised, he brought an end to the Korean War in 1953
3. To appease Republican hawks, Ike chose John Foster Dulles as Secretary of state. Dulles was rabidly anticommunist and an advocate of brinksmanship
4. Missile detection/defense systems were put in place in Alaska, a US missile command center created in the Rockies, and extensive (112,000) sq ft) bunker for the US government was set up in W. Virginia.
5. CIA actions- Operation Ajax (overthrew Iranian government and put Shah Reza Pahalvi in power) placed pro-American leaders in Philippines, Guatemala and South Vietnam; intensified anti-Soviet propaganda around the world.
6. Vietnam-France was having difficulty fighting off an insurgency led by the communist Ho Chi Minh movement and called for US assistance. A peace conference was held that divided Vietnam into Communist North and US-backed ‘democratic’ government led by unpopular Ngo Dinh Diem in the South until an election could be held in 1956 to reunify the country. When it became clear that the Ho Chi Minh would easily win the election, Diem and the US decided to keep Vietnam as 2 separate countries.
7. Suez crisis- Egyptian leader Nasser nationalized the British controlled Suez Canal. Britain, France, and Israel coordinated an attack to take the canal back by force. When the Soviets threatened to intervene, Ike persuaded the allies to withdraw.
8. Eisenhower Doctrine- US to use military aid and force to assist any Middle Eastern nation threatened by communist aggression. (Extension of Truman Doctrine of containment)
9. U2 Crisis (1960)- a US spy plane was shot down over USSR. US denied the existence of the plane but was forced to admit it once the Russians displayed the capture pilot on TV.
10. Cuba- Fidel Castro successfully overthrew US sponsored dictator Fulgencio Batista. Attempted to meet with US officials but was turned away; reached out for Soviet assistance instead.