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Date Posted: 10:41:41 08/22/13 Thu
Author: edy
Author Host/IP: 199-195-168-213.southwestern-wireless.com / 199.195.168.213
Subject: Chapter 16: History of the United States of America: 1952-1959

*“Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie was a spirited presence and a far-from-typical housewife. She even caused a small controversy by wearing Capri pants. The standard sitcom housewife wardrobe was heavy on dresses and pearls. Television executives were in no hurry to deviate from that, but Mary Tyler Moore rightfully insisted that it was an unrealistic, fabricated TV image; nobody wore a dress and pearls to do housework.” About.com, Women’s History. [Mary Tyler Moore’s generation wore pants in real life, not dresses and pearls, while hanging around the house..] …The Dick Van Dyke Show, 1961-1966. …Sally Rogers was an independent working woman in this show. But do strong women really cry at her cats because she can’t get a man? ….2012, women are still depicted like Sally Rogers. …Earlier, 1950’s, Lucille Ball wore pants a little, [most women, Lucy‘s age in real life, did not ever wear pants.]. Her husband did put up with her antics, -- a stay at home wife who needed more to do. Desi, who was her sitcom and real husband, and Lucy, get a divorce in real life; so Lucy became the very first single working woman, [early 1960‘s],-- her boss, Mr. Mooney dealt with her antics.. ….Before Lucy, during and after the radio era, George Burns wife Gracie was the center of attention with her antics, as she was somewhat entirely ditzy. Gracie and Lucy however, both ruled somehow. ..A sociological wonderment: old television.

*Well, apparently Gracie Allen ran for president in 1940, [she died 1964]. Quotes from Gracie Allen, on Working Humor.com; as candidate: “All the other candidates are making speeches about how much they have done for this country, which is ridiculous. I haven’t done anything yet, and I think it’s just common sense to send me to Washington to make me do my share.” …”As I look…at all these trusting and loving faces… tears come into my eyes…and if you must know why… it’s because my girdle is killing me.



Chapter 16: History of the United States of America: 1952 - 1959

Middle class neighborhoods in the suburbs; brand new housing; a few house plans to choose from, (every house is mostly the same). The cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods began latter 1940’s. In consequence, moving to the outskirts of the cities became the fad. The Manufactured home. This fact, along with the reality that you now cannot get around the city anytime [and not anywhere] you need, unless you have a car, is why everyone has to have a vehicle for their basic safety, -- can easily make it to the outskirts of town, where these new neighborhoods were being built. The homes in those days were larger then comparable homes built in the 1990’s, (due to inflationary trends). The yards, a perfect size, unlike now. As the trend rids of public transportation; and where it exists, callously it is decided only the poorest of the poor will ride it; thus, anyone who depends on city bus lines to get around, won’t be able to go to many places; as well they are expected to walk miles and miles; and, it takes two hours to get to the other side of town by bus. Cabs cost a mint.

Inner city buildings without parking will not do for business anymore; thus the downtown areas were destroyed by the trend, that parking lots Must be accessible. Suburban shopping malls are being built, -- surrounded by huge parking lots; one stop shopping.
The shopping mall seemed wildly popular, -- the new trend, all the more, destroying downtown shopping. Entire downtowns in cities were boarded up.

……The ideal life depicted in newsreels from the eras of the 1950’s and 1960’s for the middle range on up middle class, did exist, economically speaking only, of course. On the surface, the children had freedom to run around the entire neighborhood and beyond, without being accompanied, [inasmuch, I remember a girl my age, in the 1960’s, who was murdered by a psychopath, when I was 7; and my mom once warned of a bad man on the loose, -- don‘t talk to strangers. The psychopath was caught 1987.]

And what will occur to a society if most children are taught money is what matters; success is money; you are better if you have money. Is a society that will not stand. Selfishness verses caring that everyone will be allowed to experience the American Dream, that Roosevelt created for the United States citizens, [extreme stimulus spending directly before and during World War 2.] Spiritual education is there for you verses, we are spoiled brats, better then the poor, proven; for we have money; is the downgrade of society. Many spoiled brats go to church. This downgrade will not occur if poverty will be cured is the only view.

1950, and it was generally known through out Academia that the economy rolls so well, that we can cure poverty now. Small circles, Academia; but the New Deal Era was presumed facts known at this hour.

So comfortable is a middle class life style, with all our modern conveniences invented mostly because of electricity. The 1950’s had a good economy more or less. Merely more then ever before in mostly all of World History. Isn’t stable, in a most trustworthy is absolute sense, leaves people out of the good economy, by neglecting them. Poverty was still a reality for many. Too many. African-Americans and Hispanics were not competing in the business world on an equal level. Women neither. If you were a white man, you had advantage over all of them, [although the white people had the highest amount of people unemployed because the white population is much larger then the black population; however, the very small black population, had a higher percentage of people unemployed. Twice as high even, is racism] . The states in the deep south had their Jim Crow laws. Separate but equal public facilities, includes separate rest rooms, separate drinking fountains. I can deny you service, simply for being black. Negro, was the term used. The Ku Klux Klan, had been around since the 19th century, were grotesquely encouraged by a society who agreed the golden rule can be broken, and self hatred feels momentarily superior to blame a group who isn‘t a group I am a part of.

“All my life I’d been sweated and stepped-on and Jim-Crowed. I lay on my belly in the mines for a few dollars a week, and saw my pay stolen and slashed, and my buddies killed. I lived in the worst section of town, and rode behind the “Colored” signs on streetcars, as though there was something disgusting about me. I heard myself called “nigger” and “darky” and I had to say “Yes, sir” to every white man, whether he had my respect or not. ..I had always detested it, but I had never known that anything could be done about it. And here, all of a sudden, I had found organizations in which Negroes and whites sat together, and worked together, and knew no difference of race or color…” 1932, Angelo Herndon, who joined an Unemployment Council in Birmingham organized by the Communist party. He joined the party.*

In the 1950’s, rock n roll hit the scene, -- Rock Around the Clock, 1955, by Bill Haley and the Comets. …. [African-American music,…Jazz,… the black musician in an originally white culture, brought about a fusion of the two cultures. The inventors of Rock n Roll.] Instead of ball room dancing, now the young adults and teenagers were free style dancing, in an era that proposed freedom from the Victorian Era’s idea of sexuality and morality that doesn‘t break the golden rule, is therefore not immoral; but poverty, racism, sexism, treating people as if bad, because they divorce, or show up pregnant, even though unmarried.. It is immoral to have sex before you are married: is, why? Sex itself, is dirty, as in, bathroom, [turns into evil, it is thought], somehow, you are making God angry with that, “old time religion”. The movie industry, almost the moment it was born, began to question the idea of staying with someone, no matter how much you didn’t get along; thus, divorce was being discussed in this positive way, because of the movie industries influence. [All the while, mainstream America is still adjudicating divorcee‘s.] Having sex out of wedlock also was being discussed as perfectly okay, for the first time in ages, literally, -- although hypocrisy has it, that out of wedlock sex always went on, except underground. …To typical church going America, in a world that is still entirely Neurotic, {believes instilled false beliefs}, anyone who was caught in their underground activities were shunned, [shunning equals, not caring, you are simply better then the person.] A baby out of wedlock could mean, and will mean, if the parents practiced racism openly, homelessness for the daughter.

Prejudice from the American Public was already being addressed behind the scenes. An industrialized world, can’t be this way, was Truman’s point. 1954, and the Supreme Court struck down the “separate but equal” law with Brown v. Board of Education. Things did not go smoothly in the deep south. As the National Guard had to be called out to escort a little Negro girl, on her way to an Anglo populated school. [Immortalized in a painting by Norman Rockwell.] In Topeka, Kansas, there was a white elementary school so near. Mr. Brown’s family is Negro. He would have to literally move his family to another neighborhood, if he is to be a reasonable distance to the Negro school. Either you simply accept you cannot change the system, or you put in a lawsuit, which sure is a big hassle. {The judicial review issue vs. lawsuit way to be rid of today’s unconstitutional laws that must go.} The N.A.A.C.P, helped Mr. Brown; as most unfair/unconstitutional laws are against the poor today, who do not feel they are in a position to sue, -- without help.

1955. Mrs. Rosa Parks, from Montgomery, Alabama, was a 43 year old seamstress, working for white people. She said she was tired that day, when the bus driver told her to get out of the white section on the bus. Tired of the injustice, she said no. The “No” heard through out Montgomery, (then around the world); as most black people came to the mass meeting, …E.D. Nixon, was a noted organizer. There, they held a vote to boycott all city buses; and they arranged for car pools, so people could get to work. …The city indicted 100 leaders of the boycott, and sent many to jail. White racists bombed four Negro churches. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the leaders of this boycott, [a Minister from Atlanta.] His home was bombed as well.

“Martin Luther King, Jr., is why the protests during the Civil Rights Era were largely peaceful. “If we are arrested every day, if we are exploited every day, if we are trampled over every day, don’t ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight, we are always on the threshold of a new dawn.”* ---He made the point over again, education changes people, -- unless they are a true sociopath. [If a man doing wrong sees me doing wrong, even if I do it for social justice, still, I teach the golden rule may be broken. The eternal choice itself, is to learn you can’t break the golden rule and be correct. Those who never thought they could break the golden rule, never deliberately did so then, don’t have to fear god, which is actually fearing truth is true after all; because the honest are already believing.]

The hope for a new day was here now, finally. The Civil Rights Movement was on. While the middle class, (all neighborhoods segregated), were living the good life; thinking young adults, all over the nation, were now demanding that sex is in and of itself… is not either immoral. Bohemians, [those who are typically for social justice and individuality], thinkers in general, intellectuals, artists, Poets, writers, many who went into show business in some way, -- some of these people are famous and very much still alive: The nations young adults who were in the above category, gravitated to New York City, which now is a great city, center of everything, as Paris or London. They gathered in Greenwich Village; feeling a great camaraderie. They gathered in restaurants and clubs, and debated the great issues of the day. Social issues in particular, but also, they felt, everyone is Neurotic is ridiculous. The big psycho analyst era came into being. Some were spiritual (is idealistic), although always, as in any group on Earth, some had a pretentious take, --happiness equals doing what you want, or whatever. Many of these people who came to New York were protesting the judgmental nature of the religious organizations they were raised in. Especially, and foremost, in this era, they concerned to the sexual morays; and now the free sex, have sex on the first date will edge in. As many did have sexual hang ups. Isn’t emotionally healthy certainly. + … Writer, Norman Mailer spoke out about the sexual revolution, as it soon will be called. James Baldwin, a black writer, educated how abused the negro people are, through his writings. White people who were good, responded with the acceptance of this guilt, and that inequality must stop. …C. Wright Mills, a sociologist, wanted everyone to see the big picture. Dorothy Day was a nun in East Harlem who serviced the poor. The Young Catholic movement began. Many were very moved, and encouraged to do the same, to make a real difference while here on earth, for this short time that we are, [on a planet where people are neglected, are suffering, then, you have to see yourself as a social soldier,-- [is peaceful only]. ….Foremost, the Greenwich Village Beatnik scene, also spread across the country: the era of the off beat, modern poet reading his poems in the clubs. The era of the Poet, …Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsburg were 2 of the most notable poets, writers, of this era. ..Inside the mind of a confused teen age boy with his sexual mentality and need, who is typical of that era; Salinger’s teenage boy in “Catcher in the Rye” created a lot of conversation among the young men, especially.

A female writer, who was part of the New York scene at the time, had been rejected a job because she “might” get married and have children. It is said that at the New York Times newspaper, in the 1950’s: women were researchers and men were writers/reporters.

Communication, radio, movies, television, the telephone, …information flew around the world at a rapid pace, -- faster then the airplane or rocket ship. History had never seen such quick communication. The world now, a smaller place due to this fact. As politics now: the 1950’s had the cold war in place. By 1949, Soviet Union had the bomb. The cold war did frighten people; a minority even built bomb shelters in their back yard. The electorate was prone to being affected by scare tactics regarding the spread of Communism, -- although they should have clearly used the term, Totalitarianism, [as the economics of the Soviet Union was only a danger to themselves, -- for they did not allow a real middle class to exist at all.]

For twenty years, the Democrats had held onto the Whitehouse. The economy simply was not the big political issue; as the economy was better then ever in history. [The television show, “Leave it to Beaver” is real! We are a great country or what!] There was a slight temporary downturn after the Korean War, due to riddance of wage and price controls, and some inflation. But other then that, the economy was good. Except now, power over the presidents, approved by Congress: the Federal Reserve Board, created in 1913. This board was created to help in economic emergencies, -- as this should be better then summoning J.P. Morgan to single handily move money around to save the economy. Now this board, which also includes the Federal Open Market Committee [FOMC], controls the monetary supply through interest rates, discount interest rates, and reserve requirements.

Monetary policy is fixing to include the idea that they can control bad loans from being given out by raising the borrowing costs [interest rates]. {Economists confusingly explain this way: We need to control monetary policy; when to expand it. or contract the money supply. What this mumbo means: the Federal Reserve now decides what interest rates will be; as raising interest rates will prevent bad loans, [never did in the 19th century]. As we do note that the economy will stall out absolutely, unless they lower loan requirements. So they always also lower loan requirements. Interest rates raised, only benefits the lender, and Only causes inflationary trends. That they did raise interest rates, devastated, and hastened the destruction of spending ability due to runaway inflation. 1980’s recession is permanent; middle class shrinks for now on. Actually, if you raise wages exactly to cover the inflation, then the economy would have maintained the New Deal’s spending ability in spite of the interest rates. Create 100% spending ability, has extreme profits. [Government helps with wage increases, is indeed protecting business, is this. Our country became bankrupt the very moment it took 2 people to support one household.]

--Again, interest rates must always stay the same dependable fair rate; as loans must be given out only to who can pay it back actually, and only at true appraisal value, collateral, et cetera. But let it be known, I am a good security risk if you will allow me to work, knows my income will cover the loan, and you know I will be allowed to keep my job, -- the eternal law anyway.

Historically, interest rates were as high as they could get away with, (the 1800‘s economy had never been truly good, except for a minority population; although the country even had free land to hand out.). 1947, the prime interest rate was 1.75%. Dec. 1953, 3.25% . 1959, the interest was 5.00% . In the 50’s, interest rates were merely revving up. The interest rates had edged up 4.75% by the end of the decade; and this had to have created some inflation.

The Republican Party and the Democratic Party were not entirely conservative nor liberal. The Dixiecrats from the Democratic Party, who were against civil rights, along with the liberals, all expected to be catered to, when deciding a Democratic presidential candidate. So they nominated Governor Adlai E. Stevenson from Illinois, as the Presidential nominee for 1952, and Senator John Sparkman from Alabama, as the vice-presidential nominee. The Republicans nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower, as the Presidential nominee, and Richard M. Nixon from California, as the vice-presidential nominee. Essentially, the Republicans chose Eisenhower over the more conservative Senator Robert A. Taft from Ohio. Both parties avoided a true split.

The issues during this campaign were mostly rhetoric: The Republicans were talking about tackling corruption, and preventing federal government from becoming more powerful then state government. [Any government is a concern, -- is why the golden rule is lawful only, protects all of us only. We have two governments protecting us from one another then.] Eisenhower won 57% of the vote, 442 electoral votes, verses Stevenson’s 89 votes.

The people voted Republican at this hour, because the Democrats had held the white house now, for the entire lifetime of a 23 year old. No other reason particularly.
Eisenhower holds behind the scenes, an invisible opposition: who will not pay high wages; self hatred needs poor people to exist. Coming out with a book in Academia; too sophisticated to be a vocal racist, although they belong to country clubs that refuse any person of color, or Jewish people; and colleges dismiss the book, but do not explain that they have no right to treat economic New Deal facts as if mere opinion to dismiss. This opposition begins mid fifties, to rev up: those liberal communist inspired colleges, [although the communists didn’t pay living wages.] Right now however, the New Deal era facts were left in by everyone as should.

The Republican’s also won Congress; but their majorities were small. This will be only for 2 years; after that, the citizens voted to split the branches: the presidency, Republican, the Congress, Democratic, for the rest of Eisenhower’s presidency.

In December of 1952, Eisenhower traveled to Korea, and carried on peace talks in Panmunjom, Korea. These talks were unproductive, and then Joseph Stalin died in Moscow March 5, 1953. After Stalin died, a more conciliatory tone from both the Soviet Union and North Korea came about; thus, an armistice agreement was signed July 27, 1953. The Korean war was now over, and the Korea’s were officially acknowledged as two separate countries, -- Communist North Korea, and the Republic of South Korea.
They exchanged prisoners.

Yet, it was only 2 months later, when the problem in Indo-China, a French colony, became more then apparent. Already, in the Vietminh region, communists were fighting the French, and their allies, the Vietnamese, for power. When it became clear that the Communist Chinese were helping, the U.S. began to send military equipment, with the hope of keeping the communists out of French held Vietnam. ….Early 1954, the Chinese launched a powerful attack and captured the key French fortress, of Dienbienphu. ….So they held a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland: Representatives from France, Indo-China, Communist China, and the Soviet Union attended. They averted this crisis by splitting Vietnam in half, at the 17th parallel; and they created the non communist countries of Laos, and Cambodia. So now there was communist North Vietnam, and free South Vietnam.

Due to all these problems, [caused originally, by colonialism], the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, [SEATO] was created to deal with these issues, or a sudden emergency. Very much like NATO does for Europe. However, SEATO wasn’t as powerful as NATO. [SEATO members, the U.S., Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines were only who joined. India, Burma, Ceylon, and Indonesia refused to join.] Unlike NATO, SEATO did not provide armed forces. However, SEATO did proclaim that an attack against one is an attack against all.

October 1954, meanwhile, NATO agreed to make Western Germany its own country, the Federal Republic of West Germany, who also joined NATO. As they reiterated that an attack against one is an attack against all.

The Soviet Union and the U.S. had the atomic bomb. Eisenhower, in 1955, proposed to end the armaments race at a summit conference in Geneva. However, the Soviet Union was steadfastly refusing to allow for nuclear inspections, saying disarmaments should come first, then inspections. The meetings occurred, but with no results.

Early 1956, the Soviet Union came out against Stalin’s cruel ruler ship. September of 1956, President Eisenhower had a heart attack. He overcame his illness, and ran for re election anyway. In August of 1956, both parties held their presidential conventions.

The Republicans ran on the good economy, the best economy in all of American history Eisenhower reminded, -- in spite of the industrial revolution and free land that existed in the 1800’s. The Democrats complained about inflation, and falling farm prices, caused once again, by over production. Eisenhower once again, won the presidential election of 1956: 457 electoral votes for Eisenhower, 73 votes for the Democratic nominee, again, Adlai Stevenson, with running mate Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. [In 1958, the Congressional elections were a landslide for the Democrats.]

Eisenhower promoted state power over the federal government, and noninterference in people’s lives by government. Who owned the oil fields, the states or the national government: the states won, with the Submerged Lands Act of 1953. And because of atomic energy, the need for the Tennessee Valley Authority [the TVA] became a need again. But instead, Eisenhower merely awarded a contract to the Dixon-Yates companies, [to build steam plants for generating this power for the Atomic Energy Commission. [AEC].] …Handling this energy problem in the same way a corporation would, was not popular. Thus, this contract was cancelled.

Eisenhower tried all he could to encourage private enterprise, by abandoning all war wage and price controls, hiring President Hoover to head a commission created for finding ways to create better efficiency in government, to remove government competition with private business. The federal government got out of the synthetic rubber, railroads, ships, and hotel businesses, -- that the wars had government in.

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 now is allowing atomic energy for peaceful reasons. The president also cut some foreign aid, despite concerns that this will weaken national security; and he used measures to reduce competition with private business as a way to also balance the budget. 1956, for the first time in 8 years, the government ended the year with a surplus.

As Modern Republicanism is now in: cares about keeping government out of citizen’s business, to be practical with the budget, when you balance it in common sense, as Eisenhower was for the expansion of social security; and in fact, this program was expanded, as he favored putting money into education, housing, slum clearance. April of 1953, the Federal Security Agency turned into the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. 1954, social security was expanded, benefits increased; and Congress gave money for construction of hospitals and medical research. 500 million dollars went to slum clearance. ……But Congress refused to give money to build schools and raise teacher’s salaries. ….However, Congress did raise the minimum wage from 75cents to a dollar an hour. Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation signed contracts which guaranteed an annual wage for workers. December of 1955, the AF of L and the CIO combined, the AFL-CIO, with George Meany as president.

Modern Republicanism, as any honest view, is you are then, true, is what you honestly believe. Common sense in integrity knows you balance the budgets without hurting anyone, you do have a safety net, to be fundamentally moral, as it isn’t government’s right to interfere in people's business, or steal from them. Economic fact: Eisenhower understood why the stimulus works.

Marijuana, factually speaking, has no side effects, -- unless you over indulge, and thus live sleepy. Alcohol ruins lives, if one is genetically addicted, -- is “out to lunch“ entirely, when he is drunk. However, beginning latter 1950’s, suddenly, a drug that is hardly even heard of in main stream America, suddenly became very prevalent among the young. This scared the parents terribly, who didn’t know anything much about marijuana, except exaggerated miss-education, fibs. While today, society does know better, this is when they made marijuana illegal by using a firearms law. However, marijuana as illegal, is not legal, actually. ..1950’s, the Beatniks were quietly introducing the younger public to marijuana.

Equal Opportunity Employment, says you cannot deny someone who can do a job, and do it well, because he did not graduate from college. It is illegal to deny work to people, for a job they can so, do, even if they do not have a college degree. Okay, this is what occurs anyway, by 1980. Only people with degrees are allowed any job of real promise. And, get this, they will check your credit, and if they see you are poor, you are refused an okay job, -- takes arrogance‘s illegality way too far. All this EOE means is, you can’t be a racist. No ones job is protected. Everyone actually, better know someone, to get a job and also be allowed to keep it.

Meanwhile, Eastern Europe over reacted to the U.S.S.R.’s denunciation of Stalin. The Polish people wanted freedom of speech, press, and religion, as encouraged by their leader, (who was communist, as everyone in the country had to be). The whole world paid attention. Nikita Khrushchev, the new Soviet leader, appeased, by withdrawing some Soviet troops, and a small bit of freedom for the people. The Hungarians were encouraged, so they came out in protest, as they too, wished for freedom and the removal of Soviet Troops. 1956 rioting occurred in the streets of Budapest. Soviet machinery, including planes, rolled into Hungary, fighting for days with freedom fighters. Entire units of the Hungarian Army sided with the rebels. Finally, their leader, Nagy, supported free elections, and the Soviets said they would pull troops out of not only these two countries, but Rumania as well. ….However, it was not over. November 4, the Soviet Union attacked Hungary. The Budapest radio said, “All Budapest is under fire. The Russian gangsters have betrayed us.” …..The Hungarian rebels were crushed; Hungary now, in full Soviet control. Or rather, Hungary is now a puppet to the Soviet Union. …….The United Nations condemned the Soviets actions, while the Soviets said they invaded only to be rid of the bandits. The U.N. did ask for observers to be brought in, but the Soviets refused. Thousands of Hungarian citizens escaped and defected to Austria.

[Pathological lying always says his victims Are exactly what the liars are. No, you. …Inasmuch, in the USA, poor people receive the lazy comment is this: the name callers usually really are lazy, -- or they would be addressing their spiritual life better.]

The very same week all this was going on, trouble in the Suez Canal, which had been completed in 1869, [was open on equal terms for all ships of all nations], and had British Troops there guarding. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, recently elected president of Egypt, had been attempting to get a loan to build a huge irrigation dam at Aswan on the Nile River. The U.S. refused to give a 56 million dollar loan for this project. Because the U.S. did this, so did Great Britain and the World Bank. This angered Nasser, so he announced that the canal would now be nationalized, or rather, Egypt‘s. ….Immediately, the Western Powers attempted to talk sense into the man. Then, to make matters more dramatic, October 29, 1956, the Israeli Army moved quickly through the Sinai Peninsula, to the Suez Canal, they said, to prevent a planned attack against Israel by Egypt. ….The British and French demanded Israel and Egypt cease fighting, and to allow the French and British troops to temporarily occupy certain points of the Suez Canal. ..The Soviet Union piped in, to Not support the British and French occupation. The Soviets said they were aggressors, and better get out. ….The Western Powers should have acted within the United Nations; but they ignored the United Nations urgings instead. The U.S., oddly hadn’t been involved. So when the U.S. did become involved, it was through the United Nations. Ultimately, it was agreed that there would be an immediate cease fire, and British, French, and Israeli Troops withdrew from the Suez Canal.

The Eisenhower doctrine was the response to the Suez Canal emergency. This doctrine asked Congress to authorize the right for the President to act with military force in the Middle East region if a country from this region requests help, to check communist aggression, and to allocate 200 million dollars aid to help middle eastern countries.

1957, the Russian satellite Sputnik went into Space. The Soviets went into Space first! President Eisenhower assured the American Public that the United States was fixing to send its first satellite into space. 1958, Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite went into orbit. Rockets that can do this, can hurl a nuclear bomb directly into the middle of a country on the other side of the world. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, ICBM’s. Push button war is now possible.* The great stalemate prevents war: the Cold War. The citizens of both the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., told now, the world can be destroyed by a push of a button.

You can handle this information by assuming good sense will prevail, or panic. [It didn’t bother me until I became a teenager during the early 1970’s. Although I remember, as a young child, watching on TV, Johnson’s political advertisement for president: a little girl smelling a flower, and an atom bomb goes off behind her. But I knew nothing further.]

Explorer I took off in January; in February, Egypt’s President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, joined with Syria, to begin the formation of Arab States. The United Arab Republic, {U.A.R.}. Nasser urged other Arab States to join also. Israel was already surrounded.

In the spring, rebellion broke out in neighboring Lebanon. There, Charles Malik, was Prime Minister of a pro Western Lebanese government. Malik accused Nasser of creating this rebellion in his own country; so he asked for the United Nations to intervene. The U.N. Security Council did agree to send in Observers, who found no proof that the U.A.R. were intervening. In July, the pro-Western leader of Iraq was assassinated by army officers. A coup d tat in Iraq; so now the pro-Western government there is gone.

This is when Eisenhower ordered U.S. marines into Lebanon, in order to help President Malik protect Lebanon. Two days later, British paratroopers, 2,000 of them, flew in, to protect Jordan, at King Hussein‘s request.

While all this was occurring in the Arab world, Formosa, (now Taiwan), accused China of throwing shells into the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, in preparation for an invasion. The Soviet Union immediately announced that China’s claims to Formosa were lawful and just, after U.S. Secretary of State Dulles announced that the United States will take “timely and effective” action to repel any invasion of Quemoy, Matsu, or Formosa. President Eisenhower told the American public in a nation wide broadcast that the United States would not “retreat in the face of armed aggression, which is part and parcel of a continuing program of using armed force to conquer new regions” China must reduce its forces in Quemoy and Matsu. If the Chinese Communists hold a cease fire, we will, Mr. Dulles announced. The crisis twittered away, but China proclaimed, “The Americans must pull away their hand from the Taiwan Strait…. We are determined to liberate Formosa.” China of course, a totalitarian state, referred to as a communist country, that also, at that time, had health care for all, but very low wages.

That same year, 1958, November, the Soviet Premier, Khrushchev told the Western Powers that they have six months to get out of Berlin, and make it a free and demilitarized city. If they don’t, the Soviet Union will cut all lines of communication off between Berlin and West Germany. Any force will be met with force. NATO simply refused to leave Berlin. Instead of going through with his threats, Khrushchev met with the Western Powers in a Foreign Ministers Conference, lasting 3 months. And then the Soviet Premier and President Eisenhower met in Washington D.C. There they came out jointly together, expressing agreement that the problem of Berlin, and all problems, can be solved by peaceful means through negotiation. 1959. Afterward both countries prepared for another Conference, by conducting preliminary conferences.

Unfortunately, 1960, and Soviet Union shot down a United States spy plane, a U-2, deep into the heartland of the U.S.S.R. The Soviet’s accused the U.S. of aggression. At first the U.S. said it was a weather plane, and then later admitted that it was indeed a reconnaissance plane. Eisenhower said the U.S. would never do this again. But he refused to apologize. Khrushchev was in Washington D.C. at the time for a conference. He simply went home instead, because he had to have the apology. [The Berlin Wall, splitting free West Berlin from east Berlin, was built 1961. For one reason, to prevent defectors. You will be shot, if you are caught going over the wall to the west.]

In the early months of 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the pro-U.S. government of Cuba, led by dictator, Fulgencio Batista. [This is when many Cubans escaped to the U.S.; many moving to Miami, Florida.] The Soviet Union was Fidel Castro’s friend. The United States responded by placing an embargo on Cuban sugar, and announcing that the U.S. was developing a big economic aid program for Latin America, and urged the Organization of American States, (O.A.S.), to condemn Cuba’s actions. When the O.A.S. met in San Jose, Costa Rica, no direct criticism of Cuba’s government had been made; however, it was voted to adopt a resolution condemning Communist interference in the Western Hemisphere. As they agreed to negotiate any differences the members may have.

The General Assembly of the United Nations met in New York for their 15th regular session. President Eisenhower promised that the United States will create a program for world disarmament based on inspection and controls. When Khrushchev spoke, he decried to disarm first then worry over inspections! He called for a revolt in the colonial regions of the world against the United States! He rudely interrupted speakers, pounding his fist on the table, and then he used a shoe! [He was made upset by Soviet Unions unfair domination over eastern European countries.]

So many international problems during the entirety of the 1950’s, caused by colonialism, all the while, beginning with President Truman’s Executive Order 9835, a program was created to search for any “infiltration of disloyal persons” in the U.S. government. Although Truman professed no such hysteria in his own heart. But he ignorantly created a forum for a witch hunt to find communists within the government, … and then outside of the government began, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, (WI). At a women’s Republican Club, McCarthy announced, “I have here in my hand a list of 205 --a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.” As chairman of the Permanent Investigations Sub-Committee of a Senate Committee on Government Operations, he investigated all liberal anything. The House Un-American Activities Committee. He actually banned the Selected Works of Thomas Jefferson, among other well known books. They were removed from the libraries. Books were burned. Senate Hearings questioned well known actors, writers, anyone well known and perceived liberal. They were supposed to tell on each other even. People had to defend their rights to believe as they wish, all the while treated as if, maybe a criminal; or to say they are not a communist, -- as most likely were not. Will Geer, the actor who portrayed grandpa Walton, in the 1970’s TV series lost his acting career for years, due to accusations by McCarthy. Just one example of many serious abuses towards people during this time period. It was as if citizens of the United States no longer had the right to believe and say what you believe, just like the Soviet Union, and Communist China.

point for this chapter on next post.

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