How Close Was Nuclear War in 1983?
Did Stanislav Petrov Save the World From Armageddon?
On 26 September 1983 the World came close to nuclear war following an incorrect report that America had launched a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.
By not advising a retaliatory strike, the actions of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov just after midnight on that day, have led some to call him The Man Who Saved The World.
The Political Tension of 1983
1983 had been a politically turbulent year with the Cold War at its height. In March President Ronald Reagan announced the Strategic Defence Initiative, often referred to as ‘Star Wars’.
Ostensibly seen by the US administration as a deterrent to a nuclear strike, the Soviets viewed the move as a sign of latent aggression. Pershing II missiles had just been deployed in Western Europe, giving NATO the capability to strike the USSR within a six-minute time scale.
Paul Bracken, now of Yale University, was then part of the US nuclear monitoring team.
“The Reagan administration was very fearful of being far behind in nuclear weapons and thought the Soviets may be tempted to launch a first strike on the United States”
As this feeling was mirrored in the USSR, relations became increasingly tense.
Korean Airlines Flight 007
With this paranoid backdrop, a civilian aircraft was shot down by Soviet planes on 1 September 1983 after accidentally entering Soviet air space and being mistaken as part of a military incursion.
As well as the crew, all 269 passengers on board Korean Airlines Flight 007 from Anchorage to Seoul were killed.
Although the tragic shooting down of the plane was a mistake, it only served to intensify the levels of mistrust between the two super powers.
26 September 1983
Shortly after midnight on 26 September 1983 a siren sounded and a single word – START – appeared on the main screen of the Soviet nuclear monitoring installation. This indicated that a satellite had detected a missile launch from the United States.
The computer registered a second launch. Then a third, fourth and fifth. The screen changed to MISSILE ATTACK. If correct, the nuclear warheads would be over the Soviet border in under ten minutes.
Stanislav Petrov had a decision to make. Should he accept the evidence appearing before him or should he listen to his instinct that cried ’false alarm’?
He was experienced enough to know that classic Cold War strategy would be an overwhelming strike by the attacker. Small-scale missile launches did not make military sense. So he waited and no strike came.
The Soviet satellite had mistaken high altitude clouds for incoming missiles.
Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov
By remaining calm and not responding to the frightening data before him, Stanislav Petrov had averted a potentially catastrophic chain of events. The world today would be a very different place if he had not.
Sources
The Daily Mail
