The Missile Gap: Origins, Evidence, and Cold War Impact
The Missile Gap was a Cold War-era fear that the Soviet Union possessed far more nuclear missiles than the United States. Emerging in the late 1950s, this perceived imbalance intensified public anxiety and influenced American defense policy.
Later intelligence revealed that the gap had been greatly exaggerated. Nevertheless, the belief shaped presidential campaigns, accelerated the arms race, and became a defining example of how strategic assessments could influence global security.
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