With both the United States and the USSR in a position to use nuclear weapons in any conflict, the possibility of "mutually assured destruction" was entirely feasible. To think that the world as we know it could have ended in the 1950s may sound farfetched, but it was in fact a reality for those controlling nuclear weapons at that time. Using his military experience, a knowledge of science and technology, and diplomatic sensitivity, President Eisenhower played his "hidden hand" wisely, successfully positioning the United States economically and militarily as the strongest country in the world.