The period of 1953-1961 is widely considered to be one of a thaw in Cold War tensions between the two global superpowers of the USA and USSR. The death of Josef Stalin in 1953 and the election of Dwight Eisenhower – serving two terms in this period - brought a change in leadership in both nations and with that, an inevitable change in policies. Confrontation in this period did not necessarily only apply to direct military intervention, with both sides talking pugnaciously towards one another, making grand threats to the other’s safety. It could also be argued however that this was a period of co-existence with both nations respecting the other's sphere of influence, shown in both the US reaction to the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and Khrushchev policy of 'Peaceful Co-existence'.
Dwight Eisenhower's presidency played a role in the perception of confrontation. Eisenhower’s approach to foreign policy and the Soviet Union differed to that of Truman, who had been president before him. Eisenhower was believed to be more hard-line than Truman, being highly critical of Truman’s foreign policy as he did not take a strong enough stance against communism. Eisenhower’s ‘New Look’ policy suggested that the communists were pursuing expansionist policies and outlined the idea of ‘massive retaliation’, which threatened nuclear force in retaliation to any extent of attack, also outlined by his foreign secretary Dulles. To start, Eisenhower’s approach to foreign policy did not seem to provide a conciliatory approach to the USSR. It also introduced the policy of brinkmanship, one which would not bring about a peaceful coexistence as it focused on the use of nuclear weapons and therefore, confrontation. During Eisenhower's time in office, espionage