K. What do you recall about the Cuban Missile Crisis and Bay of Pigs? How did you and others react to these events?
S. I was very young at the time, my family was... well, maybe not unusual, but we watched the news every night. My dad was in the Korean War, and I can remember him being very frustrated. That was the main memory I had was him being very frustrated.
K. Which events of the Cold War frightened you the most? Why?
S. One event that frightened me the most was going to my aunt and uncle's, and my cousin taking me down to their bomb shelter, and I kept thinking, "Why do they have a bomb shelter at their house, and we don't have one at ours?"
K. What do you remember hearing about the East/West Germany separation during this time?
S. I can remember watching the news, and seeing people trying to escape, and seeing them shot down.
K. What did the Us. government do during this time that, in your opinion, was not a good action or judgement?
S. I can remember thinking, "Why aren't we getting along with these people, and why aren't these people getting along with us?
K. What names seemed to pop up in the news most often regarding the Cold War?
S. Castro and Khrushchev.
K. What outside events were influenced by the Cold War? Which events influenced the Cold War?
S. This, coming from a second grader at this time, I really wouldn't know, because I was just watching the news.
K. The Cold War was a war of words, although several times many people were killed. Despite these casualties, do you believe that a cold war is any better than a real war? Why do you believe this?
S. I don't agree with war in any sense, whether it's a cold war or a real war; I believe that people should get along with eachother, more of a global society than we have.
K. Were there times during the Cold War that it looked like a hopeless situation? Did the Soviet Union ever seem to be winning? If so, which events around the United States seemed to be proof of a lack of hope and pride?
S. I think that the fear people had, actually going in and building bomb shelters, that... I mean they wanted to live, but instead of taking actions to do things to stop the Cold War, we were in to building bomb shelters.
K. What weapons were developed during the Arms Race between the United States and Soviet Union?
S. The Soviet Union developed the Atomic Bomb, which made a threat to both sides, both sides of the Atlantic.
K. Was there ever defection in the United States? Did some people here seem to believe that communism was better than capitalism?
S. I think that's always the case in our free society, that there are people who believe that the other side is right and we are wrong. I think that this influenced events in a big way.
*S. One additional comment. One of the events that I remember vividly is watching the news, and seeing Khrushchev taking off his shoe and pounding the table - and my mother said, "That is very inappropriate behavior, and it will not happen here.
