• Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
  • Contact

Cold War

Before, During, and After the Cold War

  • Podcast
  • Red Scare
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Urbanization
  • Spy
  • Afghanistan
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Timelines
The 1960s: Spies and Spying

The 1960s: Spies and Spying

March 27, 2018 by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

The 1960s begin with attention centered on the U-2 spy incident. You can read all about that here.

1961 is also busy. President Eisenhower leaves office with a memorable speech, and JFK takes office. One of his first actions was the disastrous Bay of Pigs. You can read about these events here.

1962

Oct. 16, 1962 – Oct. 28, 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis begins. It ends nearly a  month later when President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev agree that the Soviet missiles and troops than have been sitting in Cuba would be withdrawn.

1963

May 1, 1963: Cuban Premier Fidel Castro pays his first visit to Moscow.  He attends the annual May Day parade, and stands on the reviewing stand on top of Lenin’s Tomb at the side of Khrushchev. The latest Russian missiles are presented at the parade.

June 8, 1963: Washington and Moscow agree to implement a hot line between the two seats of government, to be used only in emergency situations to prevent “accidental war” or “war by miscalculation.” The hot line becomes a staple in such films as Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove.

July 25, 1963: A limited test ban treaty is initialed in Moscow by the US, England, and the USSR.

November 22, 1963:  JFK is assassinated during a motorcade in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald, a self-employed and, possibly, self-employed operative for the USSR and Cuba, is arrested for the crime, but is himself assassinated by Dallas club owner Jack Ruby before he can be properly interrogated.

December 2, 1963: On behalf of the Atomic Energy Commission, President Lyndon Johnson presents a $50,000 check, along with a gold medal and a citation, to J. Robert Oppenheimer. He earlier had been classified a security risk by the AEC because of his ties to Communist organizations, and banned from further work for them.

December 16, 1963: The US Court of Appeals reverses the year-old conviction of the Communist Party for failure to register under the provisions of the Internal Security Act. In essence, the court agreed with the officers of the CPUSA who complained that registering was by definition an act of self-incrimination, since the CPUSA had been defined as “a criminal conspiracy.”

1964

March 1964: Playboy ppublishes its pictorial, Girls of Russia and the Iron Curtain, signaling (according to one reader’s letter, published a few months later) a major thaw in the Cold War.

October 15, 1964: While on holiday near the Black Sea, Khrushchev learns that he is out of a job. The Presidium has decreed that Leonid Brezhnev (as first secretary) and Alexis Kosygin (as premier) will succeed him. It is the end of an era.

November 3, 1964: China detonates its first atomic bomb.

1965-66 Television Season 50th Anniversary Tribute: I Spy

 

1967

1968

August 20-21, 1968: Czechoslovakia, now under the liberal guidance of Alexander Dubcek, is invaded by Russian forces.

1969

January 27, 1969: Baghdad Radio invites citizens to Liberation Square  to watch the hangings of 14 alleged spies. 500,000 people reportedly attended, dancing and celebrating.. Nine of the fourteen hanged were Jews.

August 26, 1969:Three more Jews were executed in Baghdad.

Photograph by Jaume Escotet (Flickr)

Filed Under: Spy

About Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Widely published, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of particular interest and expertise include Cold War Studies, sustainable development, heritage, and the environment.

Follow Us On Twitter

Cold War Studies Follow

A Cold War historian, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a MS in Policy Analysis and Public Management from SUNY Stony Brook.

Avatar
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
24 Mar

https://open.substack.com/pub/danraine/p/the-renegade-ranking-engine-1?r=25vju4&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

Reply on Twitter 1639304926810742787 Retweet on Twitter 1639304926810742787 Like on Twitter 1639304926810742787 Twitter 1639304926810742787
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
6 Mar

The spy movie that set Putin on the path to the KGB https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-spy-movie-that-set-putin-on-the-path-to-the-kgb/ via @spectator

Reply on Twitter 1632751714502623239 Retweet on Twitter 1632751714502623239 Like on Twitter 1632751714502623239 3 Twitter 1632751714502623239
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
27 Feb

https://hyperallergic.com/803590/documenting-the-black-history-not-taught-in-classrooms-renata-cherlise/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=D022523&utm_content=D022523+CID_e536b028e8de9a891145d386a1907826&utm_source=hn&utm_term=Documenting+the+Black+History+Not+Taught+in+Classrooms

Reply on Twitter 1630184655121965064 Retweet on Twitter 1630184655121965064 Like on Twitter 1630184655121965064 Twitter 1630184655121965064
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
17 Feb

Steve James Cold War Doc ‘A Compassionate Spy’ Lands at Magnolia Pictures https://www.thewrap.com/compassionate-spy-cold-war-documentary-magnolia/

Reply on Twitter 1626585299617988609 Retweet on Twitter 1626585299617988609 Like on Twitter 1626585299617988609 Twitter 1626585299617988609
Load More

Affiliate Disclosure

Cold War Studies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small commission by advertising and linking to amazon.com. You never pay more if you puchase your Amazon product from one of our links. Thanks for supporting Cold War Studies!

 

How Much Do You Know About the Cold War?

Want to find out how much you really know about the Cold War. Click here to take our quiz. 

 

Most Popular Posts

Cold War Fashion: The Early Years (1950s-1960s)

History of Colonization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Precursor to Cold War Conflict

Cold War Chile

The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste

The Red Scare

10 Little Known Facts About the Peace Sign

Immigration to the US During the Cold War

The First Red Scare: A Timeline

Korean War Music

Cold War Argentina: The Dirty War

The Cold War: Decolonization and Conflict in the Third World

Check Out Our Red Scare White Paper

Read all about the Red Scare. Just click on the cover below.

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in