Able Archer Drill Triggered Soviet Misinterpretation Shock Within Hours

In November 1983, the world stood on the brink of nuclear annihilation, but the Americans didn't even know it. This is the true story of Able Archer 83, a routine NATO drill that the Soviet Union misinterpreted as a real, covert First Strike.

While the West practiced new digital encryption and tested the terrifyingly accurate Pershing II missile, the KGB was convinced the countdown to World War III had already begun. From the panic in the Kremlin bunkers to the secret "ghost" signals that blinded Soviet radar, we uncover the classified files revealing just how close a simple misunderstanding came to burning the world to ash.

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Tags
Able Archer 83, 1983 nuclear war scare, Cold War history, Soviet Union vs USA, near nuclear miss, Pershing II missile, NATO exercises, KGB paranoia, Operation RYAN, Ronald Reagan 1983, Yuri Andropov, nuclear first strike, Cold War documentary, military history, declassified secrets, Soviet air defense, Mig-25 Foxbat, Mig-23, nuclear close calls, Stanislav Petrov, 1983 war scare explained, The Day After, Able Archer Drill Triggered Soviet Misinterpretation Shock Within Hours

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