The first theme is the aggressive actions and attitude (political and military) of the Soviet Union (whether Stalin through Andropov) which forced the West and its allies to an ever-increasing response to the perceived threat of Soviet attack. The second theme is that the United States, faced with this aggressive attitude, responded in the same way; raising the stakes again to the Soviet Union. In the last theme, attempts to counter what the Soviets/Americans believed to be an invasion of their spheres of influence required a response. The reality in this nuclear poker was that everyone could afford to lose small hands, but would not engage in all-out confrontation unless threatened by the threat of all-out war. The commitment of the United States represented its stake in becoming active managers of freedom and liberty