I am too young to remember, but maybe Boomer FReepers can describe the times back then, as so much of what our nation was first began to crumble - JFK’s murder, bookended by two Frankenheimer films, Manchurian Candidate - released in October 1962, and 7DIM, released in February 1964.
I think people honestly assumed a war with the Soviets would be fought and odds were good we’d “win” up until the Cuban Missile Crisis. Once our noses were rubbed in the reality that we could be completely destroyed, “winning” became the stuff of dark comedies.
I’ll explain some things about this movie and book.
First, the most common comment about this movie at the time was that the roles were miscast.
Kirk Douglas should have played the treasonous villain, and Burt Lancaster the hero.
Next, toward the end of the book it’s revealed that the Russians are in fact cheating on the disarmament treaty.
And certainly the president would be the liberal Democrat and the general the right wing republican.
As for the times? my main comment would be we still live in them now. Lots of nuclear missiles pointed at us from Russia and China. In fact many more. But the media doesn’t play it up.
If you have a LOT of time and you like continuing stories, you could start reading the Allen Drury series:
Advise and Consent (1959)
A Shade of Difference (1962)
Capable of Honor (1966)
Preserve & Protect (1968)
Come Nineveh, Come Tyre (1973)
The Promise of Joy (1975)
But keep in mind that ultimately, that is also one person's take on what the political structure was like.
Manchurian Candidate more details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manchurian_Candidate_(1962_film)
While it was never officially banned those who had control over the distribution were careful not to publicize the film post JFK assassination.
They did not want to spook the herd.