Cold War Texas

by Landry Brewer, Amanda Biles (Foreword)

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.

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2022

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would prefer to give it 3.5 starts but 3 is all it will let me do. The book isn’t bad, but not great. It’s just a gloss of the topic with little depth or detail. But what information is there is good, intriguing, and well annotated. Grab it for the read but don’t expect anything earth shattering.