Cold War California History Press (9781467170208)

Cold War California - (9781467170208)

Features

• 208 pages
• Images throughout
• Softcover
• Book dimensions are 6" x 9"

The focal point of western defense against Soviet aggression during the Cold War, California proved instrumental in preventing a Third World War during the twentieth century. The state's major military presence on land, air, and sea diverged with a peaceful counterpart that created the United Nations in San Francisco in 1946.
Muroc Field, the future Edward Air Force Base, was the site of Chuck Yeager's feat breaking the sound barrier in 1947, and Lockheed Skunkworks produced the top-secret high-tech U2 Dragon Lady and SR-71 in Southern California. Cold War presidents, stalwarts Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, both hailed from the Golden State. Billionaire Howard Hughes, who made his mark in aviation and the movies, provided cover for the Glomar Explorer mission to recover a sunken Soviet submarine in the Pacific.
Hollywood was a two-sided coin, supporting both pro-American movie messaging and becoming a flash point for government investigations into Communist sympathies.