Superpowers During The Cold War

The United States and its NATO allies engaged in a Cold War with the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies approximately between 1947 and 1991. While no formal large-scale fighting happened between the United States and the Soviet Union “superpowers”, each jockeyed for greater political advantage. The United States and the Soviet Union were each in possession of nuclear weapons suggesting the possibility of a global nuclear war.

In 1962, U.S.S.R First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev began making plans to covertly move nuclear-capable SS-4 and SS-5 surface-to-surface missiles to Cuba. Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic nuclear weapons launched from Cuba could reach as far as: Mexico City, Mexico; Dallas, Texas; and most notably, Washington, D.C. Soviet SS-5 intermediate-range ballistic nuclear weapons could reach anywhere in the United States with the exception of the far northwest corner of Washington state. The Soviets would have the upper hand and be able to threaten the United States at will. Soviet control of missiles in Cuba would provide a tremendous advantage in the Cold War. For Khrushchev to move missiles half way around the world without detection, he needed an intricate and innovative deception plan.

The U.S.S.R is known for its deception. “Moscow has always had a flair for D&D known in Russian

The boats carrying men and equipment were packed in such a way as to camouflage the contents. Ship captains did not know where they were going until they were at specific coordinates at sea. Additionally, if they were boarded, the captains were to "’destroy all documents with state and military secrets’, take measures to protect the personnel, and sink the ships” (Hansen 2002). Once in Cuba, Soviet soldiers built a large cinder-block wall around the unloading area for privacy and soldiers dressed as civilians. The deception went on and