In five pages this paper discusses how the supposed missile gap between the Americans and the Soviets during the middle of the twentieth century was more fiction than fact. Twelve sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_GSMisgap.rtf
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As it would later be understood, no such missile gap ever really existed, but at the time much of America was in a panic and believed the Soviets could
and possibly would destroy us at any moment. As time went on, this missile gap crisis led to the development of NASA, as well as a host of
other military plans aimed at putting the US ahead of the Soviets. In truth however, we were ahead already. The Missile Gap Defined
"Missile Gap refers to the perceived Soviet superiority in ICBMs due to exaggerated estimates by the Gaither Committee in 1957 and USAF in the early 1960s"
(Missile Gap, 2002). ICBM stands for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (October 1957, 2002). In August, 1957, the Soviet Union had fired the first ICBM and then two months later
launched Sputnik, the first spacecraft (October 1957, 2002, See also McElroy, 2002). The work "Sputnik" basically translates to "fellow traveler" (Graham, 2002). "Both events shocked Americans because the
Soviets had surpassed the United States in missile technology" (October 1957, 2002, See also Boyle, 2002). These two events indeed shook Americas confidence (October 1957, 2002). To make
matters worse, just one month later still, in November 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik II (October 1957, 2002). Although
the United States still led the Soviets in other weapons, Americans began to speak of a "missile gap" and The Gaither Report, a Ford Foundation Commission Study, fed popular
fears that the United States was behind the Soviet Union and urged a large military buildup (October 1957, 2002). President Eisenhower did not respond very well to