Cold War Texas

Landry Brewer

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781439675786
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

From missile launch sites to Soviet espionage, experience the Cold War deep in the heart of Texas.

In an era when miscalculation or a mistake could lead to global annihilation, Texas operated 12 Atlas F intercontinental ballistic missile launch sites near Abilene's Dyess Air Force Base. Nuclear-capable Nike Hercules surface-to-air antiaircraft missiles protected Austin and the Metroplex from a Soviet bomber attack. An American pilot stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base near Del Rio was the only fatality of the Cuban Missile Crisis. After he was accused of spying for the Soviet Union, former Ranger College professor Maurice Halperin fled the country. Amarillo's Pantex plant, where three employees died in a 1977 explosion, maintains the security and reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal. Landry Brewer explores how the Lone Star State shaped American Cold War policy.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword, by Amanda Biles
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Cold War Origins
• 2. Texas Missiles
• 3. Lone Star State Civil Defense
• 4. Texas Military Installations
• 5. Pantex: Nuclear Stockpile Guarantor
• 6. Maurice Halperin: Texas-Oklahoma Communist, Soviet Spy
• 7. Cold War Legacy
• Notes
• About the Author