The Cold War (1946–1991) had profound effects on American society and culture. Fresh from victory in 1945, Americans quickly disarmed and expected to focus their attention on domestic matters, in particular the adjustment to a peacetime economy and reintegration of millions of soldiers into society. The expansion of Soviet control in Eastern Europe and its acquisition of nuclear weapons in 1949, as well as the triumph of Communism in China in 1948, produced fears of Marxist expansion abroad and subversion at home. Three cases drew attention to the vulnerability of the nation's security because of espionage and treason. These cases reinforced the growing view that the United States was in a struggle for its existence and faced enemies within. During the late 1940s and early 1950s these cases contributed to a Red Scare and McCarthyism as well as to rearmament and foreign policies that defined postwar...