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no missile gap the episode shot a hole through the idea that nuclear deterrent would ultimately secure national security. New Look in itself was contradictory. Nuclear deterrent negates the collective security of the UN and NATO, which Eisenhower sought to promote. With America and the USSR launching into an arms race the international community had little or no say on this proliferation. In his unforgiving speech on the Korean War the then NATO director General Omar N. Bradley described the world as "one of nuclear giants and ethical infants."

Whilst Eisenhower attempted to extend an olive branch to the uncompromising Khrushchev, Truman used his speeches to convince the American public that the Soviet Union was unstoppable. His speeches were decisively strong and forceful. This can be seen most clearly in Truman's defining speech on March 17 1947, without a single mention of the Soviet Union he cast them as being "based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. " On top of this, Gardner believes that: "the distinctions between direct actions against the soviet union and frustrating the "design" had become non existent ," The fact that he implied rather than named the Soviet Union as the aggressor did not detract from his persuasive argument. Realist historian Paul Y. Hammond observed that: "It provided something for everyone and in a way that was palatable. " as well as being easy to swallow it also unified both the Democrats and Republicans and proceeded to "Break down the conflicting views and interests of government and infuse them with a common purpose.4"

In public, Eisenhower appeared to be less convincing. Philip J Roman states that "he failed equally at the political task of selling the New Look to the American people " It was clear that Eisenhower was not as good a public speaker or motivator as Truman. However, it could be said that Truman's strategy was easier to promote to the American people than Eisenhower's. Eisenhower focused more on self containment and at this time anything less than aggressive Truman style containment was seen as appeasement

Between 1945 and 1947 diplomatic relations degraded so much between the United States and the Soviet Union that the two leaders, Truman and Joseph Stalin went from allies to the war of words illustrated in NSC-68 and the Truman Doctrine speech. The main reason for this is highlighted in the Clifford-Elsey report of September 1946: "Soviet Leaders believe that conflict is inevitableand

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