During the Cold War, the armed forces of both the United States and U.S.S.R. were in a state of constant vigilance. War, if it came, would soon go "nuclear." Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radars were in operation in Alaska, Greenland and England. America, still remembering the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, did not want to be surprised again.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy became the new American president. He inherited the doctrine of "massive retaliation" to any Soviet attack. Massive retaliation had been conceived at a time of clear U.S. nuclear superiority. But now, the Russians were trying to catch up.
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