“Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown”
By Steve Sheinkin.
Roaring Brook Press, New York, 2021, 342 pages, Grades 7-12.
In the history of warfare, each technological invention has caused more lethality. Beginning with the longbow and continuing through the start of World War II, nations always seek more deadly weapons to add to their arsenal.
But the atomic age ushers in a completely different concept. Now countries begin using science to split the atom and create bombs with massive destructive power. World War II ends with the United States dropping atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. In practical terms, countries can now devastate their enemies in a matter of minutes.
Thermonuclear bombs are then developed. These have hundreds of times the destructive power of atomic bombs. This fact creates a nuclear arms race throughout the world, with Russia and the United States becoming nuclear adversaries. But how can one even conceive of using these horrible instruments of death? From this standoff, the Cold War commences. Both countries continue to develop and test more powerful weapons than the other. To do this, they both need information on their adversary. Steve Sheinkin details the espionage efforts of both countries as they try to outsmart the other. His gripping book, “Fallout: Spies, Superbombs and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown” tells the tale of the Cold War.
The Soviet Union sends well-trained spies into the United States to steal all the vital information available on our defense systems. Their most talented spy, Rudolph Abel, is arrested by the FBI because of the clumsy handling of secret information by another Soviet agent. Abel is sent to prison.
In the meantime, the United States develops the U-2 photographic spy plane to gain information about Russian missile bases. The crisp photographs, taken from over 70,000 feet, show the many attempts of the Soviet Union to build up its nuclear arsenal. All goes well until the Russians shoot down a U-2 plane and capture the pilot, Gary Powers. They quickly announce to the world that the Americans have been spying on Russia and put the American pilot in prison. These Russian spy overflights are not something that the Eisenhower Administration wants to admit, and it becomes a colossal embarrassment.
The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev now tells the Americans that he will “bury them.” Part of the plan is to place nuclear weapons on the island of Cuba where the Communist dictator, Fidel Castro can threaten the United States with nuclear destruction.
In October, 1962, the cataclysm is nearly reached. The Kennedy Administration tells the Russian to remove the missiles or Cuba will face an invasion. With a nuclear holocaust minutes away, somebody is going to have to blink. Which country does?
What happens? How could countries come so close to annihilating the world? What role do Rudolph Abel and Gary Powers play in this event? Why would Nikita Khrushchev start such a stupid and dangerous event? What part do American missiles in Turkey play in avoiding the catastrophe? Why does the American Secretary of Defense McNamara state that the crisis ended by “luck?” To find out all the details of this spine tingling story, go to the library and check out “Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown.”
This book reads like an exciting spy novel. Unfortunately, Sheinkin describes the actual manipulation and back stabbing of both countries involved in the Cold War. While Russia’s actions clearly look worse, American leaders also commit morally questionable decisions. There are no saints in this book. However, the story leaves the reader breathless. Sheinkin is a brilliant writer and this book along with his other outstanding titles are highly recommended.
