Inside the Cold War: A Cold Warrior's Reflections

The term “Cold War” was first used in public by Winston Churchill, speaking at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in March 1946. The Department of Defense has recently defined the period of the conflict from 2 September 1945, the date Japan formally surrendered after World War II, to 26 December 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as Soviet president and the Soviet Union was disbanded. The Cold War was a significant historical anomaly for the United States. We had never fought a war over such an extended period—more than 40 years. Downsizing after such a lengthy time was very p a i n f u l because, for the first time in our recent history, everyone in uniform was a volunteer when the conflict was over . . . and never had so many served in fighting a war. An estimated 22 million men and women were engaged in one way or another. While a significant number of our military forces were engaged with the Soviet Union, the warriors in the front lines day in and day Out were the members of the Strategic Air Command…known simply as SAC by most. The command stood up in March 1946, with 37,000 warriors, peaked with almost 283,000 men and women in 1962, and was disbanded with the stand-up of the United States Strategic Command in June 1992. I can think of no one more qualified or prepared to tell the Cold War story than Maj Gen Christopher S. Adams, USAF, Retired. In the trenches as a bomber pilot and missile crew member for most of his career, he was part of that professional group expected to perform flawlessly on every mission, simulator ride, or alert tour. A tough but compassionate leader, Chris was one of the most respected, revered, and effective wing and air division commanders in the history of SAC. His leadership footprints are still visible in the halls of US Strategic Command even today. He has a rare talent for unbiased observation, an uncanny ability to cut through the chaff, and the savvy to tell a gripping story. This book, Inside the Cold War, tells that story, in my view, better than anything published to date. We fought the Cold War with hundreds of thousands of dedicated professionals like Capt Chris Adams . . . we won the Cold War because of the extraordinary leadership and vision of a relatively few senior officers like Maj Gen Christopher Adams.