The Berlin airlift during the 1948-1949 crisis was the first practical test of whether nuclear weapons would be used. The main conundrum of using nuclear weapons was that even if you wouldn't use them, you couldn't say it publicly as they would lose their deterrent value.
During the Berlin Airlift Crisis in 1948-1949, the United States and other Western Allies flew in 1.5 million tons of necessary products for everyone in West Berlin, avoiding a nuclear war. This crisis raised practical questions and discussions about the capabilities of nuclear weapons and the potential consequences of starting a nuclear war.
The Berlin Airlift Crisis of 1948 brought together President Truman and his advisors to discuss the possibility of using nuclear weapons in World War III, and revealed the dilemma of using them as a bluff or actually using them to deter the other side.
1949 was a tumultuous year in the Cold War, marked by the victory of Chinese communists over nationalists, which added the country with the largest population in the world to the ranks of communism, sparking a big political debate in the United States.