Might be worth dropping in a comment here made by an oldie - well much older than me, made over lunch a couple of months back. No names or pack drill, but I understand he was in a position that offers some credibility to what he had to say.
He said much of the drama that ensued between the Soviets and the US during the '50's and '60's was just posturing. Whereas the Soviets had a very real separate agenda which was to take out the UK. By doing so it would have been relatively easy for them to extend the borders of the USSR all the way through Western Europe, to Lisbon through to Bordeaux. One suspects that with the UK and BAOR out of commission, there would have been little resistance from Germany, France, Italy, etc. They wouldn't have stood a chance against a Soviet blitzkreig.
Might be worthy of a separate topic "The USSR from Vladivostok to Lisbon" possibly including the Scandinavian countries, plus Greece, Switzerland, etc. etc. Without a doubt that would have been a worthwhile venture for those in the Kremlin calling the shots. Would the US have been prepared to get involved - I suspect not.