Able Archer 83: The Secret History of the NATO Exercise That Almost Triggered Nuclear War

Jones, director of the Freedom of Information Act Project for the National Security Archive, adopts an academic approach in recounting the unnerving story of how a routine 1983 NATO exercise convinced some Soviet leaders that war was imminent. The Cold War’s delicate nuclear standoff seemed in peril after President Reagan took office in 1981. Reagan’s pugnacious rhetoric and military buildup placed the U.S.S.R. in a “hyper-defensive” state. The Soviets reacted badly when NATO launched Able Archer 83, a training exercise that included such elements as long radio silences, cryptic announcements, loading of warheads, and a countdown through all DEFCON phases. Soviet leaders worried that this was a deceptive prelude to war; their forces went on alert, preparing to respond and maybe preempt a strike. Nothing happened, mostly thanks to a few individuals on both sides who kept their fingers off the trigger. Jones delivers a solid, if relatively brief, summary of events before presenting more than 200 pages of facsimiles of original documents that give diligent readers an impression of how contemporaries reacted to the situation. The primary sources make for predictably turgid reading, but this is still an unsettling reminder of how a simple misstep can negate all safeguards against nuclear war. [em](Nov.) [/em]