Cold War
(1945 to 1991)
What happened?
During WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers. The relation between the two nations was a tense one. The US had long been wary of Soviet communism and concerned about Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical rule of his country. However, the Soviets resented the American’s decades long refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of the international community and delayed entrance into the Second World War, which resulted in the deaths of ten millions of Russians. The mutual trust and enmity ripened after the war.
The expansionism of the Soviets in Eastern Europe fueled many American’s fear. They thought the Russians planned to control the world. On the other side, the Russians came to resent the American warlike rhetoric, arms buildup and interventionist approach. No single party was to blame for what became the Cold War, a period of armed peace between the communist and capitalist worlds. Both superpowers supported major regional conflicts, nevertheless. Countries who did not want to belong to either the capitalist or communist bloc called themselves Non-Aligned Countries.
The term ‘Cold War’ was first used in 1945 by George Orwell, a British author. He warned of a new world order of totalitarian states. Repeatedly, during the Cold War, many times fears arose that local conflicts and confrontations could start World War III. The Korea War in 1950, the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 are few examples.
The struggle for dominance was expressed via indirect means. Psychological warfare, propaganda campaigns, espionage, sports events and technological competitions like the Space Race.
Immediately after WWII began the first phase of the Cold War. The US created the NATO military alliance in the apprehension of a Soviet attack. The Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact afterwards in response to NATO. The Berlin Blockade, 1948-1949, was a major crisis. Both sides competed for influence in Latin-America, Middle East and decolonizing states in Africa and Asia.
In the 1970s, both sides made allowances for peace and security. This after movements around the world, in 1960s, against nuclear arms testing and for nuclear disarmament. They ushered a period of détente (= relaxation of strained political relations.
In 1980s another period of elevated tension started. The US increased diplomatic, military and economic pressures on the Soviet Union. The Soviet was already suffering from economic stagnation. Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the glasnost (= openness) in the mid-1980s, and ‘perestroika (= reorganization) in 1987. Pressures for national sovereignty grew in Eastern Europe. The refusal of military support for their governments resulted in a wave of revolutions in 1989. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union itself lost control and was banned. An abortive coup attempt led to the formal dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The US was left as the only superpower in the world. Only there is still a new tension between one of the Soviet Union’s successor states, the Russian Federation, and the US in the 21st century.
A I 59 Made in the Netherlands. Found: Menen, Belgium (JN0032-1)
British Bullet
± 1959
The Lee-Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle. It served as the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire during the first half of the 20th century. Between 1895 and 1957 the rifle was standard in the British Army. The WWI version was often referred to as the "SMLE" (= Short Magazine Lee-Enfield).
The Lee-Enfield takes its name from the designer James Paris Lee and the factory in which it was designed, the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. It featured a ten-round box magazine which was loaded with the .303 British cartridge manually from the top, one round around or by means of five-round chargers. The rifle was the standard issue weapon of the British Army, colonial armies and other Commonwealth nations in both the First and Second World Wars. In 1957, it was replaced but remained widespread until the mid-1960s. It makes it the second longest-serving military bolt-action rifle in official service.
During the years, many adaptations have a made the weapon better. New variants were introduced. In the early 1930s, a batch of No. 4 MK. I rifles were made for trials. These were similar to the No. 1 MK. VI, but had a flat left side and did away with the chequering on the furniture. Some of them were converted to No. 4 MK. I sniper rifles between 1941 and 1942.
The need for new rifles grew, by the late 1930s, and the Rifle, No. 4 MK. I was officially adopted in 1941. It was similar to the previous No. 1 MK VI, but stronger and easier to mass-produce. Unlike the SMLE, its barrel protruded from the end of the forestock. For easier machining, the charger bridge was no longer rounded.
Our bullet was made in the Netherlands but this type of bullet was used in the Lee-Enfield No. 4 MK I. Or so we were told. We are no experts on the matter.
Graffiti
± 1961 to ± 1989
The word "graffiti" comes from the Italian graffiti (= scratch). One of the oldest graffiti on rocks in the deserts of Damascus, Syria, dates to the 1st century BC and was created by itinerant Bedouins. Usually, prayers or a claim of ownership.
Thanks to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, much has been preserved in Herculaneum and Pompeii, Italy. Inscriptions by Romans that spread the impudence for the general lasciviousness on the road, in the theater, in the amphitheater, even in the temples of the gods. A few examples of inscriptions from Latin: "We wet our bed, landlord we're sorry. It was wrong. If you ask why? There was no night mirror!”, “I did it here with a lot of girls.", "I made a loaf of bread here, which was probably baked quite dark.", "Wall, I'm surprised you haven't collapsed under the weight of that nonsense”.
It is written on the walls of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople "Halfdan made these runes." Proof that Vikings sailed halfway around the world in the 9th century.
The two cities, Herculaneum and Pompeii, Italy, were excavated in the 19th century and the graffiti reappeared. In 1896 people were amazed at the multitude of graffiti in Pompeii. The lyrics did not receive much attention at first. They did not fit the image of the classics. The walls are the paper of the scum. It was not until later that it was understood that the texts provide a valuable insight into Roman life.
The phrase "Kilroy was here", which came from America, spread in the footsteps of Allied armies across the European continent during WWII. A hype until the 1950s to write it in the most unlikely of places. Often accompanied by a kind of doodle, a little man ("mister Chad") just looking over a wall.
Modern graffiti originated in the 1960s on the streets of the metropolitan cities of Philadelphia and New York, USA. The black street gangs made the neighborhoods unsafe. Each gang had their own neighborhood as territory, marked with their mark. Graffiti as a scent flag. One of the first to cover the entire city of Philadelphia, USA with his graffiti was Darryl McCray, father of modern graffiti (1954). He called himself "Cornbread". After a childhood of petty crime and punishment, McCray fell in love with a girl at school. He wrote "Cornbread loves Cynthia" on every school desk, on the buildings along the route where she went to school. Placing his "tag" became his way of life. "Tags" can be found everywhere in 1967 in Philadelphia, USA.
A local newspaper in Philadelphia, USA, mistakenly reported his violent death in 1971. McCray decided to rectify that in style. "Cornbread Lives!", On both sides of a tame elephant at the zoo. The image went around the world. He found massive imitation. Graffiti spread very quickly. It was incorporated into the hip-hop culture of the black ghettos in the 1970s.
Graffiti spread from New York to Europe in the early 1980s. A large graffiti scene reached its peak in the Netherlands between 1985 and 1995 because of punk. Punk was unfocused energy and drive with graffiti and music as a medium. The magnitude of the phenomenon was enormous. Train and metro trains were popular targets. High cleaning costs as a result. Most people saw graffiti as vandalism. The theory among sociologists stated that the presence of graffiti stimulated crime and feelings of insecurity. Legislation and social programs attempted to stop the growth of graffiti.
Graffiti is now (2021) a thing of the past. The young are expressing themselves in new ways. It still exists. Graffiti was accepted as an art form by Keith Haring (1958-1990) and included in the culture stream. He started out as a kid on the street. His work now hangs in major museums around the world.
Authentic. Found: Baltimore, Maryland, US (JN0696)
Fallout Shelter Sign
± 1962
The sign has a flat black and yellow reflective paint. It was intended as an interior sign but was placed on the outside of buildings with shelters. At the bottom is a statement that the sign may not be reproduced or used without permission from the Ministry of Defense. Such breads were part of the Fallout Shelter program that started in 1961. It involved an entire underground network to protect the population from radiation in the event of a nuclear attack. Those seeking shelter would find radiation detection instruments, sanitation facilities and a daily gallon of water and 700 calories of food. The stay could last a maximum of 2 weeks. In the mid-1960s, funding for inventories ceased. Slowly the shelters were shut down.
Each community made civil defense plans, including many community air raid shelters and a siren alerting citizens if a nuclear attack was imminent. Schoolchildren were given regular exercises and some families built underground bomb shelters in basements and yards. As the nuclear threat abated, the missile silos took on new purposes.
Such a sign consisted of marking shelters, mainly from procurement campaigns for signage for shelters. One million of these boards were purchased and distributed to 53 Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Yards and Docks field offices for further distribution. There was a procedure for marking shelters. The architect-engineer-contractor placed a small OCD black-and-yellow sticker on shelters that met the prescribed requirements. An official was then required to obtain a signature from the shelter owner on the license agreement. Official Fallout Shelter signs were then installed by the Army Corps of Engineers or the Bureau of Yards and Docks.
The sign of black and yellow markings has a meaning. There are six points to a shelter sign. First, they mean that it is a shield against radiation. That there is also food and water available. Then that there is trained leadership with medical supplies and assistance. As a fifth point, it serves as communication with the outside world. Finally, there is radiological monitoring to ensure safe areas and time for return home will be determined. The sign should give hope instead of despair. The statement was never used as a promotional effort. It was enough that everyone recognized the sign as a place prepared to house people if a nuclear war with the Soviet Union actually happened.
Texas School Book Depository Brick ± 1902. Found: Dallas, Texas, US (JN0841-2)
Bathroom Tile of Lee Harvey Oswald's Apartment ± 1925. Found: Dallas, Texas, US (JN0841-9)
Presidential Lincoln Limousine SS-100-X Bloodstained Leather Backseat ± 1963. Found: Dallas, Texas, US (JN0841-5)
Piece of Clothing of Jack Ruby ± 1963. Found: Dallas, Texas, US (JN0841-10)
Grassy Knoll Dirt ± 2011. Found: Dallas, Texas, US (JN0841-1)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Clothing ± 1962. Found: Washington D.C., US (JN0841-7)
JFK Signed Document ± 1963. Found: Washington D.C., US (JN0841-4)
John Connally Signed Envelope ± 1965. Found: Austin, Texas, US (JN0841-6)
Clint Hill Signed Business Card ± 2012. Found: San Franscisco, California, US (JN0841-3)
James Leavelle Signed Business Card ± 2016. Found: Garland, Texas, US (JN0841-8)
President John F. Kennedy
± 1963
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, aka JFK, was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He was elected the 35th President of the United States in 1961. He became known for his plans to put a man on the moon and win the space race with the Soviet Union. He made a clear stand during the Cuban Missile Crisis demanding the dismantling of all Soviet missile bases in Cuba with a blockade on all military supplies to the island. He became more involved in the Vietnam War by supporting South Vietnam.
We have an actual piece of relic from a document originally handled and signed by John F. Kennedy. No part of his signature is visible on our fragment, nevertheless an official part of a historical document.
Mrs. Kennedy was only 31 when she became the First Lady as the wife of John F. Kennedy. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was admired worldwide for her fashion, elegance, and courage. As First Lady, she took it upon herself to restore the interior of the White House. She gave the nation a glimpse of the presidential home via TV. We have a speck of clothing she once wore. The pink colored clothing piece is not from the attire she wore in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.
During an official visit to Dallas, Texas, JFK was assassinated in 1963 at the age of 46. Kennedy was fatally wounded by two rifle bullets, one to the head and one to his back, while being driven through Dealey Plaza in Vegas in an open limousine, the Presidential Lincoln limousine SS-100-X.
Clint Hill was a secret agent and ran after the presidential limousine after the first shot. He jumped on the vehicle and shielded Jacqueline and John Kennedy with his own body. However, his act of heroism came too late for the president. We collected a piece of a business card of this great man.
Texas Governor John Connally sat in front of JFK in the open limousine and was also shot, but survived the assassination. We have obtained a documented envelope signed by him.
In 1963 the Texas School Book Depository, built in 1902, was in use as a multi-floor warehouse for storage of school textbooks and related materials and an order-fulfillment center. Some time after the company moved in, it was found that the upperfloors had sustained oil damage from items stored by a wholesaler grocer, the previous tenant. To protect the company's books, a process was begun to cover the floors with plywood. Immediately prior to the Presidential visit, work had begun on the west side of the sixth floor. The Texas School Book Depository was renovated in 1981, when our specimen was recovered from the building.
In reporting the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy just minutes after the Dallas shooting, White House correspondent Merriman Smith told his UPI bureau that the gunfire "probably came from a grassy knoll to which the police rushed." A "buzz phrase" was born. Our piece of dirt was collected from the Grassy Knoll as a memento in 2011 to commemorate 50 years of JFK's presidential victory.
James Leavelle was the Dallas Police homicide detective who was handcuffed to Lee Harvey Oswald when Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby in the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters, which was seen live on TV. We obtained a small piece of signed business card of his. No part of his signature is seen on our speck.
We were able to purchase a very tiny piece of bloodstained leather from the backseat of the SS-100-X. After the assassination the 1963 presidential limousine was returned to the White House, where it was under the care of F. Vaughn Ferguson, the White House Technical Service Representative at that time. He was the only person permitted continual hands-on contact with the vehicle. The leather upholstery of the bench-style seat was removed by Ferguson four days after the assassination. The main body of the rear seat was light blue and the border area was dark blue.
The car was sent in secrecy to a Cincinnati firm for refitting and a security upgrade for President Lyndon B. Johnson. The refurbishing was done according Secret Service specifications by the Ford Motor Company and a Cincinnati Custom Body Firm. Steel plating, a 7,62 cm thick glass, bulletproof tires, and other security features were added. The car gained a lot of weight. Ferguson was able to retain the removed leather sections and eventually sold them to collector Raleigh DeGeer Amyx.
An official investigation into Kennedy's assassination led to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald, who works at the Texas School Book Depository at Dealey Plaza, as a temporary employee at the building, was the killer. Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots from the sixth floor of the building.
Lee Harvey Oswald, his wife Marina, and their baby June, lived at 600 Elsbeth, Dallas, Texas in Unit #2 for approximately six months in 1962 to 1963. 600 Elsbeth was a two story, 10-unit apartment, built in 1925. The original address was 602-604 Elsbeth but this was changed to 600 Elsbeth after the assassination of President Kennedy. It has always been referred to as the "Gateway to Bishop Arts". Newspaper articles, international media, and assassination documentarians from all over the world have mentioned 600 Elsbeth.
Many notable events took place at that apartment. While living at 600 Elsbeth, Lee Harvey Oswald ordered the gun that killed officer Tippet. Unit #2 of 600 Elsbeth is believed to be the location of numerous critical, precursory meetings and planning sessions related to President Kennedy's assassination. These meetings usually took place in the kitchen. The testimony of both, at the time, landlords Mr. and Mrs. Tobias, is in the Warren Commission along with a map of 600 Elsbeth, drawn by Mr. Tobias.
Oswald, a former US Marine, was killed 2 days after the murder at the Dallas police station by Jack Ruby, who became the most famous nightclub owner at the time. This had nothing to do with his business activities. Like Maine, however, his life was embroiled in politics, which he plunged headlong into by shooting alleged John F. Kennedy attacker Lee Harvey Oswald. We have obtained a piece of his clothing.
Jack Ruby was arrested and convicted. He died of cancer in 1967. According to the official investigation, Oswald acted alone. An official House of Representatives inquiry concluded that there must have been at least a second shooter. Many conspiracy theories arose and are still (2023) unsolved.
In 2013, after years of litigation to save the place, the City of Dallas tore the building down and destroyed most of the interiors and exteriors. We got a piece of tile from the bathroom. Gordon Keith and Roy Appleton of the Dallas Morning News both authored poignant articles about the importance of the bathroom vanity area played in the lives of the Oswald's during their time at 600 Elsbeth.
By the end of 2022, approximately 95% of the file had been made public. These must convince the conspiracy theorists. The remaining 5% are often deleted pages in broader, declassified documents. The sitting president can keep documents under lock and key. However, if these were wrongfully withheld, they must still be released. June 2023, everything should be known. The conspiracy will endure forever.
SR-71 Blackbird
± 1965 to ± 1991
The SR-71 61-7956 is also known as NASA 831. This aircraft holds the record (2022) for most flight time with a total of 3.967,5 hours of flight time hovering above 80.000 feet (= 24.384 m) at speeds greater than Mach 3,2. (= 1.131,9 m/s). It made a total of 1.454 flights. It is also the most photographed Blackbird aircraft.
The fragment comes from the overlapping flaps that surround the aircraft's exhaust. This is also known as the turkey feather. The piece is made of René 41, a super alloy specially selected for its resistance to hot temperatures. It is a piece of inner pump filler. The alloy consists of chromium, cobalt, nickel, and titanium. The engine nacelle exhaust filter pumps are one of the hardest working parts of the aircraft, opening and closing the afterburner.
The SR-71 was built for speed and stealth during the Cold War. The aircraft set records as the fastest manned aircraft in the world. It easily flew three times faster than the speed of sound. The SR-71 commanded respect from pilots. That sense of reverence extended to those flying an enemy aircraft.
The first official test flight took place above Area 51 in 1962. The test model was a smaller version with only one seat. In 1964 the first flight of the first SR-71 took place. The SR-71 program was stopped in 1991. Two aircraft were donated to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. These include the standard models that served to train pilots of the aircraft. After several experiments, the planes retired for good in 1999. NASA tested the plane laser light as a way to produce airspeed and altitude data. Also, NASA collected information about celestial bodies at wavelengths blocked from the ground. The Blackbird's capabilities enabled it to deliver high-speed and high-altitude research in aerodynamics, propulsion, thermal materials, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization.