Cold War Oklahoma
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
4-29-2019
Abstract
Oklahoma might seem like an unexpected place for Cold War tensions to boil over, but the state played a key role in a conflict that threatened global annihilation. Altus Air Force Base served as a hub for twelve intercontinental ballistic missile launch sites; in 1964, a missile housed at the Frederick site exploded, although the nuclear warhead remained unaffected. Ordinary citizens lived under the shadow of nuclear war as well. A former OU faculty member accused of committing espionage for the Soviet Union fled the country, while a SWOSU professor dug his own fallout shelter in Weatherford—by hand. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, an emergency siren malfunction sent terrified Elk City parents scurrying to local schools to pick up their children. Landry Brewer presents a fascinating cross-section of the era, from top-level strategy to the details of daily life.
Recommended Citation
Brewer, Landry and Burke, Bob, "Cold War Oklahoma" (2019). Faculty Articles & Research. 4.
https://dc.swosu.edu/caap_general_articles/4
Comments
ISBN: 9781467142250
Publisher: The History
Images: 38 Black And White
Pages: 144
Dimensions: 6 (w) x 9 (h)