Sir Bernard revealed that he had written an article for a Russian journal which made reference to the inclusion of a manned Moon mission in the Soviet seven-year science plan. "I think at the present time it must be regarded as somewhat doubtful whether man will be landed on the Moon within the decade."Īt the time it was assumed that the Russian lead in the space race would be difficult to overhaul. Sir Bernard, the only person interviewed who is still alive today, says the Americans had been completely surprised by the capability of the Soviets.īut his second prediction was not right, however. Was Sir Bernard Lovell right about the space race? It was the closest the world had ever come to nuclear war. He agreed to dismantle all the Russian missiles based in Cuba if Kennedy promised not to invade the island. The world held its breath, and Khrushchev was the first to back down. John F Kennedy imposed a naval blockade around Cuba and threatened Russia with attack if any Cuban missile were launched against the US. Overnight, barbed wire fencing had been erected to stop the tide of refugees fleeing to the West.Ĭoncrete blocks replaced the barbed wire and the wall became an enduring symbol of the Cold War - a permanent structure until it was dismantled in 1989.Ĭuban Missile Crisis: By October 1962, the Soviets had installed nuclear missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles off the US coast. Troops in East Germany had sealed the border between East and West Berlin. In the end President Dwight Eisenhower was forced to admit the US had been on a spying mission.īerlin Wall: On 13 August 1961, Berliners woke to a divided city. However, the Russians produced the pilot Captain Gary Powers alive and well. U-2 incident: In May 1960 the world was shown pictures of the wreckage of an unarmed American U-2 spy plane, shot down while flying deep over Soviet territory.Īt first the US claimed it had been a weather plane. Nehru hoped that the United States and Russia would get rid of the fear that the other side would attack. His comments should be seen in that context, says Sir Christopher Mallaby, a diplomat in the British Embassy in Moscow between 1961-63. Nehru was a member of the non-aligned movement, which refused to take sides in the Cold War. The Cold War went on for another 30 years, particularly deteriorating in the first three years of the 60s. The Cuban missile crisis was a flashpoint By 1964 Tanganyika united with Zanzibar and Tanzania was born. Julius Nyerere became prime minister of the first government of independent Tanganyika in 1961 and the following year he was voted president in the newly-declared republic. It wasn't until 1994 that it was free from white rule and Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president. By 1961 the African National Congress was banned and South Africa had left the Commonwealth. The Sharpeville Massacre was a turning point in South Africa's history as the country became increasingly isolated. More than 60 were killed and 170 were injured. Only a month later South Africa was condemned internationally as police opened fire on a large crowd of protesters gathered at the Sharpeville Police Station. It was a sign of the acceptance of the end of the Empire. Just a few weeks after Nyerere's prediction, British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan spoke in South Africa of the "wind of change", as more and more black Africans claimed the right to rule themselves. "France, Britain and Spain all pulled out of their African possessions and the rest of Africa was independent by 1970," Dowden says. The exceptions were white South Africa, Rhodesia and the Portuguese colonies in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau. Nearly five decades on, it's clear he was right, says Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society.
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