Cuban Missile Crisis Anniversary

50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis Conference

and Book Signing with Sergei Khrushchev

(FAIRFAX, VA, August 29, 2012)--The Cold War Museum and the Department of History & Art History at George Mason University (GMU) will convene a distinguished panel of historians, authors, and first-hand participants to discuss and commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This FREE half-day program will be held Saturday, October 27, 2012, 10:00am, in the Harris Theater at GMU, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA. Pre-registration required.

“This is a unique opportunity,” said Gary Powers, Jr., Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Cold War Museum, “to experience first-hand accounts by renowned experts on the facts, events, strategies and challenging decisions of what many experts agree was the most dangerous and volatile time in history.”

Sergei Khrushchev, son of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and author of "Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Superpower," will provide the keynote address. Following Khrushchev’s remarks, the following experts will conduct a panel discussion: Martin J. Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize winning author about Robert J. Oppenheimer and GMU History Professor; Michael Dobbs, Washington Post reporter and author of “One Minute to Midnight;” and Svetlana Savranskaya, editor of “The Soviet Cuban Missile Crisis” and National Security Archives Director for Russian Archives and Institutes.

U-2 pilot Colonel Buddy Brown (USAF, Ret.) and F8U-1P Crusaders pilot Lt. Commander Tad Riley (USN, Ret.), who overflew Cuban SA-2 missile sites during the crisis, will discuss their mission objectives and recollections. Photographic interpreter Dino Brugioni, who briefed President Kennedy on the photos taken over Cuba, will provide a dramatic first-hand account of the behind-the-scenes activities of the Kennedy administration during the crisis.

Immediately following the conference there will be a book signing with Sergei Khrushchev, Dino Brugioni (“Eyeball to Eyeball”), Michael Dobbs, Ken Jack ("Blue Moon over Cuba: Aerial Reconnaissance During the Cuban Missile Crisis"), Svetlana Savranskaya, Harvey Simon (“The Madman Theory”), and David Stokes ("Camelot’s Cousin").

Sponsors include David Stokes, Syneca Research Group, Inc., and Whit Williams. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, breakfast with the panelists, or to register for the conference visit www.coldwar.org/articles/60s/CubanMissileCrisis50thAnniversary.asp.

ABOUT THE COLD WAR MUSEUM

The Cold War Museum, founded in 1996, honors Cold War veterans and preserves Cold War history. It is dedicated to education, preservation and research about the global political and ideological confrontations between East and West from the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

 

The End of the Cold War?

Today I am going to talk about the end of the Cold War, but not in the literal sense. We all know that as the Soviet Union became more open and reformed, communism came to an end. However, what we fail to take notice of is how the Cold War has never really left the consciousness of the American people. I am not talking about the college kids who walk around wearing t-shirts the hammer, sickle and CCCP written on it. (Ask anyone of them to explain what that means and I bet you they will begin to talk about Che Guevara or Nietzsche and think they are totally cool and "in tune" with the movement.) I am talking about those who still reference the Cold War as if it was a threat today as it was 30 years ago.

Now, before you begin to argue with me on whether the Cold War truly ended, the one thing we can agree on is the threat is different than it was back during the height of the Cold War. However, some seem to have trouble getting out of that mindset. According to Mitt Romney, Russia is our number one geopolitical foe. Late night talk show hosts joke about Putin's rise to power and how he would like to return Russia to its former glory. People on the street still use "commie" as a common slur and a whole host of computer and board games over the past couple years have used the Soviets of Soviet-like foes. So why do we sometimes still default back to our old, trusty foe when we are looking for one to fill the void? Quite honestly, I believe it is because the Cold War mentality became so engrained into the American psyche that the Soviets have become our default enemy, even though they no longer exist.

We really can't answer the question of when Cold War ended until the generations that actually experienced it have gone. I can still remember watching the news channels and hearing reports about the Soviets, seeing their flag in the top corner of the TV. Even though I know they aren't around anymore, I still can see them as an enemy entity, a default answer to a question. It is hard not to think about Russia and see, for a fleeting second, the Soviet flag in your mind's eye. That is because I lived through part of the Cold War. I grew up with the Soviet Union as our #1 enemy. I often wonder if the younger generations nowadays put two and two together. As I have said in earlier posts, some of the college kids I have questioned can't tell the Cold War from the Civil War. One kid even asked me if I dug up any of my collection in South Carolina, because he heard that is the best place to find southern Cold War artifacts.

Has the Cold War really ended? For the younger generation it has. But for us who lived during the Cold War, I believe that it will never really end for us. We lived during a time of great paranoia, mistrust and anxiety. That isn't something you ever forget about, even if the war itself is actually over. We will always carry the Cold War in us, and our minds will sometimes default back to the old ways. The thing that we have to remember is that the Cold War, at least how we knew it, really is over even if our bodies will not let us forget it.

We Are Back!

After a few weeks hiatus, we are back here at the Cold War blog! You will notice a little bit of a different format in the next few weeks.

After not being able to find people to write for us, I will have to drop the entries down to once a week. If you are interested in writing for the Cold War Museum Blog, please contact us and we will discuss with you how to accomplish this.

As you know, the Cold War Museum's physical site is still in its infancy, and every little bit helps! If you want to donate some time, talent or money please contact us at http://coldwar.org/.

Finally, check back later this week for the first review of the new format!

Thank you so much!

Joellyn Jones
Social Media Manager

The Cold War is Heating Up Again!

The Cold War is HEATING UP again, only this time we're sweating bullets instead of shooting them! Please help The Cold War Museum get the air conditioner repaired. The Cold War Museum is located in wonderful Vint Hill Virginia, and while it is a beautiful location, it is also ungodly hot in the summer! Every little bit helps, and we need your help! Below is a link to the Museum's contributions page where you can use Paypal (no account required, just pay as a guest if you prefer), Network for Good or JustGive. Thanks.

http://www.coldwar.org/museum/contributions.asp

Event!

Please join us in welcoming Linda McCarthy and her collection of rare, real-life spy gadgets. This event, benefiting the Cold War Museum, will allow you to view these unique artifacts up close and learn how they were put to use during the Cold War. Linda is one of the foremost authorities on the tools of spycraft. She was the founding curator of the CIA Museum, is the founder of History Is A Hoot and served as board member of the Cold War Museum.

When: Saturday July 28, 2012 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Where: Fairfax County Army Navy Country Club, Fairfax, VA

Admission is free, but donations in support of The Cold War Museum are encouraged.

Check out the Cold War Museum website for more details!

Weekend Review: "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2"

Being a Cold War historian, I find myself naturally drawn to movies, television shows and games that have anything to do with the Cold War, Soviets or nuclear warfare. While not directly dealing with the Cold War, the Command and Conquer series takes themes from the Cold War and turns it into a very entertaining computer game.

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 takes place in an alternate reality where the Soviet Union fights the Allies. The game allows you to play as either the Soviet Union or the United States in story mode. They also have free play where you can play without having to worry about accomplishing goals, just destroying the enemy.

What is great about the story mode is that the creators really gave some thought into what may have happened had the Cold War escalated in a different way. There are campaigns that are reminiscent of the campaigns in WWII; from conquering a building to conquering a whole city. There are standard weapons like guns, sentry towers, and nuclear bombs, but there are also fantastical weapons that use electricity, controlled storms and cloaking technology.

The single player mode allows you to build a base from scratch and then launch attacks against your enemy/enemies in order to become the last one standing. Each player has a possible super weapon that they can build their way up to getting, and once their weapon is launched it is almost impossible to avoid it. You can wipe out your enemy, or infiltrate them and take them down from the inside. There are as many ways to win as there are to lose, and this is what makes this game so challenging and fun. No matter how many times you have played it (and I have been playing this game for 12 years) it is still challenging and entertaining after all of these years. I am purposely being vague about the gameplay because this game is full of awesome technology and twists and turns. I am still finding out new things about this game, so I don't want to give too much away!

I highly recommend this game for anyone who is a fan of real time strategy and the Cold War. While not directly related to the Cold War, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a must play for any enthusiast.

DEFCON rating: 1

Just play it, you won't regret it!



The Things I Do For the Cold War...

As you know from my bio, I collect Civilian Civil Defense items. I have a rather extensive collection, and I love to talk about my items and the Cold War every chance I get. Well, when National Geographic's "America's Lost Treasures" came to town, I decided to enter one of my manuals to be shown on the program.

I submitted my application and promptly forgot about it, until I received and email stating that my manual had been accepted for the show... along with myself to talk about it. I love teaching about the Cold War, but usually to smaller groups. However, I feel so strongly about the Cold War that I was willing to go on TV and talk about it. A television appearance is a very daunting thing for a normally shy person, but I decided to take one for the team. Besides... its not like they were going to put a lot of focus on my artifact, right? It wasn't exactly a lost treasure per se...

Yeah, it got mentioned alright. I just had to suffer through watching myself on TV for two painful minutes as I went on to describe my manual and a little bit about the Cold War. They weren't kidding when they said they would shoot for 1/2 hour but only use 2 minutes worth! I knew that it wasn't going to be a lot of time, but I never expected 2 whole minutes...

Even though it was incredibly uncomfortable for me to watch, I understand that it was for the greater good. You see, most of the people I encounter do not see Cold War objects as "lost treasures".  However, they are quickly becoming lost treasures and that is why we need to preserve them. Many of the people I show my collection to begin our conversation with "oh, my relative had a bunch of this stuff and we threw it away..." This breaks my heart every time I hear it.

If you are reading this blog, then you are obviously interested in the Cold War. You may even be a veteran of the Cold War or have a collection of you own. The thing that we need to remember is the Cold War is slipping away from people's memory and we need to preserve it and talk about it. If we keep quiet and choose to be shy about Cold War rather than talking to people, then in 50 years artifacts from the Cold War will indeed become lost treasures.

So, if you would like to see me on TV check your local listings for the National Geographic Channel's "America's Lost Treasures: Milwaukee". Don't laugh too hard. (As a side note, they incorrectly listed that sirens other Cold War stuff is worth more than the book. Even though they might monetarily be worth more, the paper stuff is still more rare.) :)