In this context, the issue of racial discrimination in the United States became a liability for the U.S. government, as it contradicted its rhetoric of freedom and democracy.
The Soviet Union and other communist countries exploited this contradiction by publicizing instances of racial injustice in the United States, and portraying them as evidence of the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of American democracy. This put pressure on the U.S. government to address the issue of racial discrimination, in order to counter the Soviet propaganda.
Additionally, the civil rights movement gained momentum during the Cold War, as African Americans and their allies used the rhetoric of freedom and democracy to challenge segregation and discrimination. The U.S. government was reluctant to intervene in this struggle, but as the movement grew in size and visibility, it became increasingly difficult to ignore.
Thus, the Cold War created a political and ideological climate that made it more difficult for the U.S. government to maintain the system of racial segregation known as Jim Crow. The pressures created by the Cold War, combined with the activism of the civil rights movement, helped to bring about significant changes in U.S. race relations in the 1950s and 1960s.