The People’s Liberation Army is not yet as formidable as the West fears

In 1957 America was gripped by fears of a “missile gap” with the Soviet Union. The Kremlin had stunned the world with a test flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and the launch of Sputnik. An American intelligence report predicted that by 1962, the Soviets could have 500 ICBMs, outstripping America’s arsenal. When word of that leaked, a political furore erupted. Eyeing the presidency from his Senate seat, John F. Kennedy demanded action to prevent a Soviet  “shortcut to world domination”.