4 THE BRINK: CLOSE CALLS AND NUCLEAR CRISES

By the mid-1950s, the Bomb had shifted in the public consciousness from a novel phenomenon into an ever-present part of everyday life. Talk of kilotons and megatons, fallout, and hydrogen warfare could be found in popular newspapers and magazines, ranging from news reports on the latest test shots in the Pacific or Nevada, terse speculations on what might happen if war came, reports on the most recent Soviet provocations in Eastern Europe or Asia, and learned commentary on the United States' strategic options and military plans.