The Decade of Detente

摘要

The crowning moment for US nuclear superiority came during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev withdrew the ballistic missiles he had intended to target on American cities. Khrushchev's power play failed when his missiles in Cuba were discovered before they were operational and ready to use. That left him with the existing disadvantage in deliverable weapons-5,100 for the US, only 300 for the USSR. Although the Soviet Union might inflict massive casualties, it could be wiped off the map in a nuclear exchange. The superpowers came away from the experience heading in opposite strategic directions. The Soviets, determined not to be humiliated again, pushed their nuclear buildup with unrelenting vigor. The United States stopped building its forces and cut back on nuclear programs.