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Audio

Kennedy Diary Recording of Cuban Missile Crisis
This is a short entry in the audio diary of President John F. Kennedy, recorded two days after the United States discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba. Kennedy discusses a meeting with his advisers, during which they discussed how to handle the discovery of the missiles. (Please note that the quality of the audio is poor.)

Video

Henry Kissinger on Nuclear Deterrence
In this 1958 interview, journalist Mike Wallace interviews Henry Kissinger, a prominent realist scholar who would later become National Security Adviser under President Richard Nixon. Kissinger discusses the impact of nuclear weapons on American foreign policy.

President Reagan at the Berlin Wall
In this 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall, President Ronald Reagan famously asked Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall”—one of the final chapters of the US-Soviet Cold War.

Nuclear Weapons: A Visual Timeline
Although only two nuclear weapons were ever used in war, hundreds of nuclear weapons have been tested and nine states currently have nuclear capabilities. This brief video walks you through almost 70 years of nuclear testing and proliferation.

Web Resources

The National Security Archive
The George Washington University hosts the National Security Archive, a massive collection of declassified government documents related to national security and international relations. There is ample material on the Cold War, although the range of documents available is greater than those focusing only on U.S.-Soviet confrontation.

Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project is hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and contains a digital archive and other resources.