Thematic Study and Guidelines: Identification and Evaluation of U.S. Army Cold War Era Military-Industrial Historic Properties.

Abstract

Abstract : This document provides a national historic context for the U.S. Army's military industrial involvement in the Cold War (1946-1989). The goal of the project was two-fold: (1) to develop a thematic study on historic properties associated specifically with the military-industrial theme of the Cold War, and (2) to provide guidelines for the identification and evaluation of Cold War ERA military industrial historic properties in the Army. The document emphasizes the specific relevance of the Cold War to the Army's military industrial history, rather than the general context of the Army during the Cold War period. In other words, although there is some discussion of the Army's traditional mission, the focus of this historic context is on what the Army did in direct response to the Cold War. For the purposes of this study, the Cold War is defined primarily as the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union and is only secondarily defined as the general threat of communist aggression from other sources, such as China. This document was designed to be used by cultural resources professionals at installations or on contract to the Army. It provides the general overview needed to begin to identify, evaluate, and eventually manage the Army's Cold War inventory. It is a starting block only. The document is designed such that individual chapters can be used alone or as part of the larger document. The narrative history is a stand-alone piece and is supplemented by the timeline provided in the appendices. These can be used to better understand the history of a particular installation within the larger context of global history and the Army during the Cold War period.