Was Communism a Threat to the United States?

In accordance to the beliefs of the United States at the time, communism was indeed a direct threat to the security of the nation. The possible spread of Communism in Europe, Southeast Asia, off the coast of and within the United States itself justified an attempt to stop the domino effect from occurring. The domino effect, of course being the belief that once an individual country falls to communism the surrounding countries would fall as well. It was in fact communism that led to more severe and tense negotiations in the future that would have a direct impact on the United States and would pose as an ominous threat to America’s security.
Having just completed World War II, Russia had not lost its reputation as a powerful nation, and it became widely known that their government was communist. Aggression from the Soviet Union alarmed the United States, immediate action took place. Before this, the Bay of Pigs Invasion took place, ordered by former President Eisenhower with the objective being to overthrow Fidel Castro from power; another key figure in the growing communist trend. The invasion however was a great disaster with the United States suffering defeat at the hands of the Cubans. Tension was already high between the three nations, and when the rumor that a communist country was supplying another communist country with nuclear warheads, and one nonetheless miles off the coast of Florid, a panic stricken nation turned to its young, new president to handle the situation. John F. Kennedy, after days of intense negotiation reached an agreement with the Soviet Union to dismantle the atomic bombs in exchange for a no-invasion agreement. The government blamed communism for the aggression the opposing nations were demonstrating, and because of these issues, the public began to feel that communist nations were a serious threat to their homeland’s security.
Even more so than wanting to feel safe, the United States wanted to prevent even more countries from...