Which statement below is not a reason for the lack of impetus to develop missiles in the late 1940s and early 1950s?

• A. No one in the United States had the scientific or engineering expertise needed to develop missiles.
• B. With bases around the USSR in Europe and Asia, U.S. leaders did not feel an urgent need to develop missiles.
• C. Until 1948, the Truman administration tried to maintain good relations with the USSR.
• D. U.S. had atomic weapons and bombers to deliver them from long ranges.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the United States didn’t rush into missiles because other delivery methods and strategic conditions already provided deterrence. Long-range bombers armed with atomic bombs could reach targets far away, so there wasn't an urgent need to switch to missiles. Bases around the Soviet Union gave the U.S. a feel of reach and protection, further reducing pressure to deploy missiles immediately. Additionally, the Truman administration’s effort to maintain workable relations with the USSR lessened the impulse to outpace them in weaponizing missiles right away.

The statement about there being no one with the necessary scientific or engineering expertise isn’t accurate. By the late 1940s, the U.S. had active rocketry programs and even brought in German rocket scientists after the war to boost capability. That makes lack of expertise an unlikely reason for a lack of impetus, whereas the other factors genuinely helped explain the slower start on missile development.