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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Bowman Gum Company (fl. 1951) Fight the Red Menace: The Children's Crusade against Communism trading cards; 22. Alaska Lookout

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09627.22 Author/Creator: Bowman Gum Company (fl. 1951) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Trading card Date: 1951 Pagination: 1 collecting card ; 6 x 8 cm. Order a Copy

One trading card from the Red Menace collection, "22. Alaska Lookout" depicting American forces setting up a base in Alaska. One soldier illustrated carrying a gun while jet planes fly past him. Reverse side contains propaganda narrative that mentions Alaska as the first line of defense. Describes the cold temperatures, "radar towers, jet planes and ground forces."

The military spent about $1.2 billion between 1947 and 1957 on the construction of naval bases in Alaska. These bases were the center of building radar towers, bombers, and counter surveillance against the Soviet Union.

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