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Cold War Long Island authored by SUNY Old Westbury’s very own Professor Karl Grossman along with co-author Christopher Verga discusses how Nassau and Suffolk counties were home to secret nuclear missile sites and classified government laboratories. To my surprise, Long Island was home to hubs for military technology, government laboratories, and much more. As the authors state, “World War II birthed modern Long Island, but the Cold War defined the region.”
The authors reveal how towns like Lake Success, Hicksville, and Levittown had hidden histories. Grossman and Verga interviewed witnesses who provided first-hand accounts of Long Island during the Cold War. The book follows the island’s history from the 1930s to the early 2000s examining its role in the Cold War and afterwards.
As the publisher notes: “By the close of World War II, Long Island had transformed from a rural corridor to a suburban behemoth. The region became a nationally recognized manufacturing and innovation hub for the military and possessed one of the fastest-growing middle-class populations in the country. But behind the manicured lawns and cookie-cutter cape homes, locals were adapting to new Cold War conflicts and facing anxieties of a potential nuclear fallout.”
Furthermore, “Secret nuclear missile sites and classified government laboratories were established on the outskirts of Suffolk County, often among unaware residents. Soviet spy rings traversed across the island, seeking to steal industry secrets and monitor military installations.”
Cold War Long Island is highly readable and informative. I recommend it to all lovers of history or nonfiction who want to gain insight to the historical development of Long Island.
Along with being a professor at SUNY Old Westbury, Karl Grossman has authored other books, including Cover Up: What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power and The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program’s Nuclear Threat to our Planet. For thirty years he has hosted a nationally-aired TV program, Enviro Close-Up with Karl Grossman, and he has received multiple honors for his work in journalism. Christopher Verga is an instructor at Suffolk County Community College and is the author of Saving Fire Island from Robert Moses and other works.
