Part 2: Chapter 5, The Satellite Decision Summary and Analysis

Eisenhower became President in 1952 while the Korean War was still in progress. The U.S. was still behind in space age technology due to budget limitations. Eisenhower realized that the Cold War was expensive. It would never break out into a "hot" war, but would require massive amounts of spending, so it was necessary to maintain a balanced economy. This meant that military spending had to be kept in line while the Communist threat was effectively countered. His New Look programs still inherited weapons spending decisions from the previous administration but he realized the need for pushing technology and so did the military.

Eisenhower echoed the usual U.S. position of calling for disarmament and arms limitations along with onsite inspections, which the Soviets opposed. The Soviet quest for secrecy led to increased...