11. It was he who proclaimed the missile gap , earning the emnity of President Dwight Eisenhower. 12. Shortly after assuming office, Kennedy acknowledged that his own Pentagon could discover no missile gap . 13. But since the days of the hydrogen bomb and the " missile gap ," 14. To add to the debate, it was becoming clear that the missile gap was fictional. 15. "It's like the missile gap with the Russians, " he said. 16. On taking office in January 1961, Kennedy was informed that the missile gap was an illusion. 17. The Air Force suggested they close this missile gap by building more ICBMs of their own instead. 18. John Kennedy campaigned by deploring a missile gap with the Soviet Union that miraculously disappeared once he took office. 19. The perceived " missile gap " led to a considerable defense buildup on the part of the United States. 20. The 1960 American presidential election saw accusations of a wholly spurious missile gap between the Soviets and the Americans.
