The Cold War

How was the war fought?

Presentation created by Anoop Randhawa

Bay of Pigs Invasion
Proxy War
Background Information
CASTRO OVERTHROWS BATISTA
On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew General Fulgencio Batista in Cuba
Fidel Castro was a young Cuban nationalist
Batista was pro-American and anti-communist
American corporations & wealthy individuals owned about half of Cuba’s sugar plantations
and the majority of its cattle ranches and mines
Batista did very little to restrict their operations
Castro wanted for Cubans to take more control of their nation
Thus, Castro reduced American influence on the island
He nationalized American-dominated industries (e.g. sugar, mining)
He introduced land reform schemes
He demanded that other Latin American governments act with more autonomy
Many Cubans welcomed Fidel Castro’s 1959 overthrow
But, many fled to Florida in fear of how life would be under Castro's communist regime
 Fidel Castro, photographed in 1964
Anderson, John Lee. “Fidel Castro, Photographed in 1964.” The New Yorker , 26 Nov. 2016, www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/postscript-fidel-castro-1926-2016.
Background Information
CUBA AND THE SOVIET UNION
In 1960, Castro established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
Both nations signed a $100 million trade agreement
This was the start of the Soviet Union's involvement in Cuban economy
The United States responded by prohibiting the importation of Cuban sugar
Sugar exports to the US made up 80% of the country’s total
To prevent Cuban economy from collapsing, the Soviet Union agreed to buy sugar
Castro's new order in Cuba was just about 100 miles from the United States
This made American officials very nervous
So, in 1960, President Eisenhower allowed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to recruit
1,400 Cuban exiles living in Miami (Florida)
President Eisenhower also allowed the CIA to begin training them to overthrow Castro
This group became known as the Brigade 2506
The Preparation
When John F. Kennedy became U.S. President in 1961, he learned about Eisenhower’s plans
Some advised Kennedy that Castro posed no real threat to the USA and the invasion would be
pointless
But, President Kennedy wanted to show people that he was serious about winning the Cold War
Thus, the troops continued to train in Guatemala
President Kennedy did have some doubts about the plan
He did not want any direct involvement by the American military in Cuba
The Soviets could see this as an act of war
Thus, the Cuban exiles were utilized as soldiers in this invasion
This is an example of a proxy war
The Cuban exiles were "substitutes” fighting on behalf of the main players (the U.S.)
CIA officers assured Kennedy that U.S. involvement in the invasion would be kept hidden
The Invasion
The first part of the plan was to destroy Castro’s air force
This would prevent Castro’s military from effectively retaliating
On April 15, 1961, a group of Cuban exiles left Nicaragua in a squadron of American B-26
bombers
The planes were painted to look like stolen Cuban planes
They conducted a strike against Cuban airfields
But, it turned out that Castro knew about the air raid and had moved his planes
The initial bombing raid was a fail
Thus, Kennedy canceled a second air strike
Kennedy began to suspect that the invasion would be unsuccessful
But it was too late to stop the invasion now
On April 17, 1961, the CIA launched what they believed would be the definitive strike
A full-scale invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American-trained Cubans
The invasion began at the Bay of Pigs (an isolated area on Cuba's southern shore)
The success of the plan depended on the Cuban population joining the invaders and starting an
anti-Castro uprising
 Cuban exiles
Klein , Christopher. “Bay of Pigs Invasion.” History , 6 May 2019, www.history.com/news/bay-of-pigs-mistakes-cuba-
jfk-castro.
The Invasion
The invasion didn’t go well
A radio station on the beach broadcasted the entire operation to people across Cuba
As a result, the invasion was no longer a surpirse attack
Unexpected coral reefs sank some ships as they pulled into shore
Backup paratroopers landed in the wrong place
Castro’s troops quickly located the invaders on the beach
The Cuban exiles were ill-prepared and significantly outnumbered
There were about 20,000 of Castro's troops
At the same time, the Cuban air force continued to control the skies
On April 19, 1961, President Kennedy authorized an "air-umbrella"
This involved a top-secret U.S. squadron of pilots to help defend the brigade's B-26
aircraft flying
Due to a misunderstanding over time zones, the bombers arrived an hour early
They arrived before an escort cover arrived from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier
As a result, they were shot down by the Cubans
The invasion was crushed later this day
The Outcome
The Cuban exiles surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting
114 were killed and over 1,100 were taken as prisoners
The prisoners were freed 20 months later
This invasion was a disaster and an embarrassment for the Kennedy administration
According to many historians, the CIA and the Cuban exile brigade believed that President
Kennedy would eventually allow American military troops to intervene in Cuba
But, the President was determined not to start a fight that would end in World War III
This incident inflamed American-Cuban-Soviet tensions
This was an event crucial to the development of the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962
To make up for the failed invasion, the Kennedy administration initiated Operation Mongoose in
November 1961
This was a plan to sabotage the Cuban government and economy
This included the possibility of assassinating Castro
 The 2506 Brigade 72 hours after landing on the island.
“Exhausted, without Munition and Trapped against the Beach. The 2506 Brigade 72 Hours after Landing on the
Island.” BBC NEWS, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56808455.
"Ping Pong" Diplomacy
Background Information
RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA
Since the communist revolution in China (1949), relations between the People’s Republic of
China and the United States had been clouded
Relations were clouded by Cold War propaganda, trade embargos and diplomatic silence
But, by 1971, both nations were looking to start negotiating with one another
China’s alliance with the Soviet Union was damaged
Chairman Mao believed ties with the USA might serve as a deterrent against the
Soviets
U.S. President Richard Nixon had made opening to China a top priority of his administration
The two countries opened secret communications
But the real breakthrough came via a public encounter between a pair of ping-pong players
World Table Tennis Championships (1971)
During the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships, U.S. player Glenn Cowan got on a
shuttle bus carrying the Chinese national team
The Championships were held in Nagoya, Japan
The Chinese national team was stricly told to avoid contact with the Americans
But Zhuang Zedong, the team’s greatest player, decided to chat with Cowan
through an interpreter
He even gave Cowan a gift
The next day, Cowan gifted Zhuang a t-shirt with a peace symbol and the
Beatles’ lyric “Let It Be.”
Photographers caught the incident on film
As a result, the U.S. and Chinese teams soon became the talk of the tournament
Chairman Mao took this as a political opportunity
Mao shocked the world by inviting the U.S. team to make an all-expense-paid visit to
China
Chinese three-time world champion Ping Pong player Zhuang Zedong (left) presented a Yellow
Mountain silk weaving art piece to American athlete Glenn Cowan (right) on Apr 4, 1971.
Hafey, Jacob. “Chinese Three-Time World Champion Ping Pong Player Zhuang Zedong (Left) Presented a Yellow Mountain Silk Weaving Art Piece
to American Athlete Glenn Cowan (Right) on Apr 4, 1971.” CHINA US Focus, 10 May 2019, www.chinausfocus.com/society-culture/1970s-ping-
pong-diplomacy-shaped-us-china-ties.
The Visit to China
The historic visit began on April 10, 1971
On this day, 15 American table tennis players, team officials and spouses crossed a
bridge from Hong Kong into China
They were suddenly the most important American diplomats on Earth
The U.S. team spent 10 days traveling through Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai
They were treated respectfully
The U.S. players also participated in a series of exhibition ping-pong matches held under
the slogan “Friendship First and Competition Second”
The American trip came to an end at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People
This is where the team met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai
Zhou congratulated the players on opening “a new chapter in the relations of the
American and Chinese people”
 American delegation of tennis table players visit the An American tennis table player trains with a Chinese
Great Wall of China, in April, 1971.
Andrews, Evan. “American Delegation of Tennis Table Players Visit the Great Wall of China, in
tennis table player, in April, 1971 in Beijing, China.
Andrews, Evan. “An American tennis table player trains with a Chinese tennis table player, in
April, 1971. .” History , 19 Oct. 2018, www.history.com/news/ping-pong-diplomacy.
April, 1971 in Beijing, China” History , 19 Oct. 2018, www.history.com/news/ping-pong-
diplomacy.
The Outcome
On April 14, 1971, President Nixon announced that travel bans and trade embargos against
China would be eased
This was announced on the same day that the U.S. team met Zhou Enla
The effects of the “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” continued the next year
The Chinese sent their table tennis team to the USA for a tour
President Nixon visited the People’s Republic of China in February 1972
This was the first time in history that a U.S. President traveled to the Chinese mainland
Nixon met with Zhou Enlai and Mao and took took action in the form of negotiations =
diplomacy
They agreed to joint opposition to any attempts by outside nations of establishing
hegemony in East Asia
This was a warning to USSR
USA also did not put pressure on the UN when Nationalist China was replaced in
the Security Council by Communist China in October 1971
President Nixon called the eight-day trip to China, “the
week that changed the world”

Writing about the visit years later, Nixon noted that the
Chinese leaders “took particular delight in reminding me
that an exchange of ping-pong teams had initiated a
breakthrough in our relations
Cu Chi Tunnels (Vietnam War)
Technology
Background Information
THE PATH TO THE VIETNAM WAR
Vietnam and neighboring nations were colonized by France in the 19th century
These nations together were known as French Indochina
After WW2 ended, the United Nations put certain countries under the power of a superpower
These nations were deemed "ill-prepared" to become fully independent
Example: The UN allowed France to take over Vietnam
The Communist party in Vietnam (led by Ho Chi Minh) resisted the invaders and gained popular
nationalist support
The USA didn't immediately get involved because they didn't want to upset their relations
with France
The French refused to recognize Ho Chi Minh’s provisional government
Instead, they re-established their own control over the region from Saigon in South
Vietnam
They offered Ho Chi Minh’s government an associate-state status within the French
Empire
But, Ho Chi Minh refused
Background Information
THE PATH TO THE VIETNAM WAR
The resulting war between the French and the communist Vietnamese lasted for 7.5 years
The war ended with a French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954
On April 26, 1954, a meeting was held at Geneva
The UN decided to divide Vietnam into a North Vietnam and South Vietnam at the 17th
parallel
North Vietnam = communist
South Vietnam = democratic
The Americans moved to support South Vietnam
The fear was that if South Vietnam fell to the communists, then all other states in Asia
would follow = the Domino Theory
This eventually led to the Vietnam war
 Map of Vietnam in 1954
Turner, Gracie. “July 1954: The Geneva Accords Establish North and South Vietnam with the 17th Parallel as the Dividing Line.” Sutori,
www.sutori.com/story/vietnam-war-museum-exhibit-timeline--MYPEfFeyn4kYHd59JKXSsdLz.
Digging the Cu Chi Tunnels
Communist forces began digging a network of tunnels in South Vietnam in the late 1940s
This was during their war of independence from the French
Tunnels were often dug by hand
Thus, they were dug only a short distance at a time
As USA increased its military presence in Vietnam in the 1960s, North Vietnamese and Viet
Cong troops expanded the tunnels
The U.S. increased military presence in support of a non-Communist regime in South
Vietnam
Communist supporters in South Vietnam were known as Viet Cong troops (VC)
When the Vietnam War began, tunnels were expanded to an even greater extent in order to
fight the better-supplied American and South Vietnamese forces
This included a huge network running underneath the Cu Chi district (northwest of Saigon)
War in the Cu Chi Tunnels
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE TUNNELS
The Cu Chi tunnels served a key role during war operations
They served as a base for Communist attacks
Soldiers used these underground routes to:
House troops
The U.S. relied heavily on aerial bombing = North Vietnamese and VC troops went
underground in order to survive
Transport communications and supplies
Lay booby traps for the U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers
They planted trip wires that would set off grenades, etc.
Mount surprise attacks and then disappear underground to safety
These tunnels are a great example of innovation and technology utilized in the Cold War
In heavily bombed areas, people spent much of their life underground
The Cu Chi tunnels grew to house entire underground villages
There were living quarters, kitchens, and hospitals
War in the Cu Chi Tunnels
U.S. and South Vietnamese forces began to train soldiers to function as “tunnel rats”
These soldiers were of small size
They would navigate the cramped, dark tunnels to detect booby traps and enemy troop
presence
In January 1966, about 8,000 U.S. troops tried to sweep the Cu Chi district in a series of
attacks known as Operation Crimp
B-52 bombers dropped explosives onto the jungle region, but were unsuccessful in finding
enemy activity
This was because most Communist forces were underground
A year later, around 30,000 U.S. troops launched Operation Cedar Falls
They were attacking an area known as the Iron Triangle after hearing reports of enemy
tunnels there
They ended up driving out thousands of residents
But, North Vietnamese and VC troops slipped back in the tunnels within months of the sweep
In early 1968 ,they would use the tunnels as a stronghold in their assault against Saigon
during the Tet Offensive
 Layout of the Cu Chi Tunnels
“Map of Cu Chi Tunnels.” Indochina Tours, www.indochina.tours/cu-chi-tunnel-heroic-wonder/.
 The interior of the Cu Chi Tunnels
“Tourist Attraction.” Tripadvisor, www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g293925-d2005826-r188540003-Cu_Chi_Tunnels-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html.
Tourism in Cu Chi Tunnels
After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Vietnamese government preserved the Cu Chi tunnels
The tunnels were included in a network of war memorial parks around the country
In total, at least 45,000 Vietnamese men and women died defending the Cu Chi
tunnels over the course of the war
Visitors can now visit the Cu Chi Tunnels
They can crawl through some of the safer areas of the tunnels, view command
centers and booby traps, and even eat a meal featuring foods that soldiers living in
the tunnels would have eaten

“Tourist Attraction.” Tripadvisor, www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g293925-d2005826-r188540003-Cu_Chi_Tunnels-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html.

The Berlin Wall
Economics
Background Information
THE DIVISION OF GERMANY & BERLIN
When WW2 ended, Allied peace conferences at Yalta and Potsdam determined Germany’s
territories
It was decided that Germany would be split into four “allied occupation zones”
The eastern part of Germany went to the Soviet Union
The western part went to the United States, Great Britain, and (eventually) France
Although Berlin was within the Soviet part, the agreements split the city into sectors
The Soviets took the eastern half
United States, Britain and France took the western half
Nikita Kurshchev, the Soviet leader, disliked the existence of West Berlin
West Berlin was clearly a capitalist city within communist East Germany
The Soviets wanted to drive the United States, Britain and France out of the city
 A 1948 map of Berlin
“Berlin Blockade .” History , 5 Feb. 2020, www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-blockade.
Why was the Berlin Wall built?
After Soviet Blockade of West Berlin, tensions flared again in 1958
The tensions were again centered on Berlin
West Germany
West Germany was governed by Konrad Adenauer
He had an obvious anti-Communist stance
The economy of West Germany was thriving
It provided a high standard of living for its people
East Germany
East Germany was economically depressed and politically repressed
As a result, there was a great flow of people from East Germany to West
Since the end of the blockade, about 3 million had moved to the West
On August 12, 1961, about 2,400 fled
This was the largest number of people to leave East Germany in a single day
East Germany was losing its young skilled workers (e.g. doctors, teachers,
engineers, etc.)
Their leaving jeopardized the economic recovery of their homeland
Why was the Berlin Wall built?
The border between East and West Germany was sealed to prevent any further loss
But Berlin was still an escape hatch
Krushchev gave an ultimatum to the Western Powers
He demanded that Western powers leave Berlin within 6 months
But, the Western Alliance refused to move
Krushchev met with U.S. President Eisenhower in September 1959
A summit conference was scheduled for next May in Paris to resolve Cold War issues
But, this conference never occurred due to the U.S. spy plane that was detected over
Soviet territory and then shot down by the Soviets
Krushchev only decided to negotiate with the U.S. in 1961, after John F. Kennedy became the
new President
Krushchev used the summit meeting in Vienna in 1961 to present Kennedy with an
ultimatum
Kennedy rejected the ultimatum
As a result, tensions increased
Why was the Berlin Wall built?
Meanwhile, the flood of people from East Germany to West Germany continued
In the first six months of 1961, about 103,000 East Germans moved to the West via
West Berlin
As Krushchev continued to press publicly for an agreement with the Western powers,
he decided secretly to close off the escape route to West Berlin
On August 13, 1961, the border between East and West Berlin was permanently closed with
a few heavily guarded checkpoints
Building the Berlin Wall
The East German army, police force, and volunteer construction workers began creating a barbed wire
and concrete block wall
This was to be known as the Berlin Wall
This wall separated East Berlin from West Berlin
All buildings on the east side of the wall were removed = a mined buffer zone was created
It became impossible to get from East to West Berlin, or vice versa
The only way through was via checkpoints
Eventually, East Germany built 12 checkpoints along the wall
At each checkpoint, East German soldiers screened diplomats and other officials before
they were allowed to enter or leave
Only under special circumstances were people allowed to cross the border
The communist government of East Germany began building the Berlin Wall in August 1961. The
Berlin Wall divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989
“The Communist Government of East Germany Began Building the Berlin Wall.” The Apoka Voice, 12 Aug. 2016,
theapopkavoice.com/berlin-wall-2/.
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall did reduce the flood of people from East to West
The wall stabilized the economic situation in East Germany but it didn’t resolve the issue
But, many people still continued to try to escape East Germany
From 1961 to 1989, more than 5,000 East Germans managed to cross the border
They did this by jumping out of windows adjacent to the wall or crawling through the
sewers
In total, 171 people were killed trying to get around the Berlin Wall
Krushchev also faced tough opposition from the hard-line faction in the Politburo
Some Politburo members criticized Krushchev for backing down on his ultimatum to the US
But, Krushchev showed his toughness by allowing Soviet tanks in Berlin to come nose to
nose with American tanks at Checkpoint Charlie
This was an indication that the situation in Germany was still unresolved
Krushchev would have to find another way of removing the West from Berlin
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
By November 9, 1989, the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe
On this day, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced that citizens of
East Germany would be free to cross the border
At midnight, East and West Berliners flooded through the checkpoints
Over 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin that weekend to celebrate
People used hammers and picks to destroy chunks of the wall
While cranes and bulldozers pulled down sections
Soon the wall was gone and Berlin was united for the first time since 1945
The reunification of East and West Germany was made official on October 3, 1990
 The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Kaplan, Fred. “People Gather near a Part of the Berlin Wall That Had Been Broken down after the Communist German Democratic Republic’s Decision to Open Borders between East
and West Berlin circa November 1989.” SLATE, 8 Nov. 2019, slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/11/berlin-wall-30th-anniversary-optimism-reconsidered-authoritarianism.html.
The Corona Project
Espionage
Purpose of the Corona Project
The Corona Project was a highly classified satellite reconnaissance program
This project was developed under an existing Air Force System = the Discoverer program
In the 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union were making great advances in weapons
technology
The Soviets were moving fast in nuclear technology
This created a fear in the United States that they could be attacked by nuclear weapons
The United States were struggling to obtain military intelligence on the Soviet Union
There was a need to define the threat to the nation
One solution = satellite reconnaissance or "spy satellites"
This would reveal the true level of preparation from the Soviet Union side
Thus, the Corona Project was approved by President Eisenhower in 1958
This project is an example of espionage = the practice of spying typically by governments to
obtain political/military information
Devloping Spy Satellites
The U.S. still had a long way to come before they could photograph from space
They would have to develop film that could withstand space radiation & air pressure
Launches of the first Corona hardware began in January 1959
The satellites were launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
The first dozen attempted launches of Corona satellites failed
Some of the vehicles didn’t make it to orbit or back down
Others experienced camera or film mishaps
Many changes had to be made over time
Cancellation of the program was frequently discussed
In August 1960, the first successful Corona flight made 8 daytime trips over the Soviet
Union
When the camera had used all of its film, the satellite released its film return capsule
from a 100-mile altitude
The package was picked up, midair, by an Air Force plane
This became the first photography ever recovered from orbit
After 14 launches, the nation’s first spy satellite system was finally close to starting
operations
 The recovery of Discoverer 14 return capsule
“The Recovery of Discoverer 14 Return Capsule .” Wikipedia , en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(satellite).
Devloping Spy Satellites
Over time, Corona cameras and film improved in quality
By the time the program concluded in 1972, the resolution had improved significantly
Also, the return capsules’ film cargo had increased from only ten pounds in weight to eighty
pounds
That is the equivalent to about 16,000 feet of film
Each mission was able to stay aloft for 19 days
Each mission was returning images of 8.4 million square nautical miles of territory
The Significance of the Corona Project
The Corona Project opened an intelligence treasure chest
The images proved that the Soviets did not possess vastly higher numbers of missiles than the USA
The photos revealed much about Soviet missile complexes, atomic weapons storage sites, air
defense batteries, command-and-control facilities, and more
The U-2 flights had been able to cover one million square miles of territory in the Soviet Union
Corona produced photos of 510 million square nautical miles of Earth’s surface
About 95% of which was of foreign areas of intelligence interest
The Air Force conducted the project under the cover story that it was a scientific satellite project,
“Discoverer”
This was a real program supported by Air Force labs
The Soviets were not to find out that spy cameras were in space
These images were kept classified until the mid-1990s
Today, these images are helping archaeologists & scientists identify and gain insight into ancient sites
With modern computing, these space-based images show great detail

An undated Corona program launch from the
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Renault, Marion. “An Undated Corona Program Launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California.Credit...” The New York Times, 5 Jan. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/science/corona-satellites-environment.html.
A Corona program image of Boslebi village in Georgia,
during a period of collective farming under the Soviet
Union.
Renault, Marion. “A Corona Program Image of Boslebi Village in Georgia, during a Period of Collective Farming
under the Soviet Union.Credit...” The New York Times , 5 Jan. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/science/corona-satellites-environment.html.
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www.history.com/news/ping-pong-diplomacy.
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pigs#:~:text=The%20plan%20anticipated%20that%20the,friendly%20to%20the%20United%20States.
“Corona Comes in From the Cold.” Air Force Magazine, 17 June 2021, www.airforcemag.com/article/0995corona/.
History.com Editors. “Bay of Pigs Invasion.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/cold-war/bay-of-
pigs-invasion.
History.com Editors. “Berlin Wall.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 15 Dec. 2009, www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall.
History.com Editors. “Cu Chi Tunnels.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Aug. 2011, www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/cu-chi-
tunnels.
Lang, Sharon Watkins. “Project Corona: America's First Photo Reconnaissance Satellite.” Www.army.mil, 11 Aug. 2016,
www.army.mil/article/173155/project_corona_americas_first_photo_reconnaissance_satellite.
Renault, Marion. “It Spied on Soviet Atomic Bombs. Now It's Solving Ecological Mysteries.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Jan.
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