The United States built the military after World War II ended because they felt threaten by the Soviet Union. The US then withdrew their troops from Germany hoping that they would do the same and there would some sort of peace offering. The US was then convinced that the Soviets wanted to dominate the world. They ignored our threat to use nuclear weapons.
Were the Soviets afraid of Americans as much as Americans were afraid of them?
The American were more afraid of the Soviet Union in the beginning but things changed when they developed their military. They also felt that they did not take unnecessary risks. The soviets are by far the weaker force