The Americans perceive the threat posed by the Soviets and nuclear war in the 1950s in that they believed that the threat of war was real.
This is evident from the fact that the Americans during this period constantly got to g suspicious of the Soviet Union undercovers in America. This even led to the suspension of blacklisting of some top-rated actors and producers in Hollywood. Also, some schools in America encouraged missile drill, that is, ways in which students can protect themselves during nuclear attack.
He wanted to prevent political parties, because he knew that eventually this would lead to a divided nation which would mean the concept of "peace" and "freedom" in america would slowly break apart.
