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People thought that if we didn't see the USSR's stuff it must mean they are even more advanced than we thought and must be imminently preparing first strike! Ev
by api 4y ago
People thought that if we didn't see the USSR's stuff it must mean they are even more advanced than we thought and must be imminently preparing first strike! Evidence of Soviet military power was evidence of Soviet military power, and lack of evidence was evidence of even more Soviet military power! People really non-ironically thought this.
It seems completely unhinged today, but this was right after the world had just been rocked by two successive bloodbath world wars. It wasn't that crazy in the 1950s and 1960s to think WWIII would be up in short order.
Another major factor was how much secrecy there was on both sides. Secrecy breeds conspiracy theories and paranoia. The Soviets were also preparing for a first strike from us and probably were following similar lines of reasoning.
- eesmith 4y agoAgain, I think you're being too kind. I think Curtis LeMay - one of those in your category - was unhinged already. I think he wanted a war. This is the guy quoted as "Well, maybe if we do this overflight right, we can get World War III started". He wanted to bomb and invade Cuba, and do even more bombing of North Vietnam, and he wanted the US to get rid of its "phobia" about using nuclear weapons. That's someone who wants war, and will manufacture an interpretation that justifies having that war. That's far different than simply drawing that conclusion from negative data. Again, yes, I agree with your "it wasn't that crazy" part. My point is that many of the people who believe that were deliberately lied to, to encourage spreading that belief. While connected with secrecy, as you say, it was a deliberate conspiracy carried out in part to support what Eisenhower termed the "military-industrial complex."