Description
1962: NEWS REVIEW OF 1962: In 1962 world peace was threatened by the most critical period in history since the end of World War Two. Red puppet Castro and the Russians turned Cuba into an Island fortress and when U.S. planes spotted missile installations President Kennedy and the Western Allies stood firm. The Russians removed their planes and missiles in a retreat to Moscow. The Wall of Shame in Berlin was one year old and despite Red efforts to reinforce the barrier East Berliners still escape to the West. France was at peace for the first time since 1939 as the 7 year war ended in Algeria. Leftist Deputy Premier Ben Bella took over and immediately found himself faced with economic chaos. India found the path to neutralism a hard one in a world torn by strife. Red China invaded the country and the ill-prepared people rallied behind Prime Minister Nehru. Death came to one of the world's most extraordinary and beloved women - Eleanor Roosevelt. She made the role of First Lady a dynamic one as she walked with the great and humble. Pope John XXIII made modern Church history as he called an Ecumenical Council and, despite an illness, he presided at its close. Above all 1962 was a year of spectacular space achievements. Colonel JOHN S. GLENN, JR., became the first American to orbit the earth and he was quickly followed by Scott Carpenter and Walter Schirra who made six orbits of the earth. With the successful flight to Venus of the Mariner satellite, the United States was pushing forward with its program to put a man on the moon.