The Cuban Missile Crisis You Never Heard About
Part of Heroes and Hiccups: True Stories about Nuclear Weapon Risks
The almost-nuclear war
In November 1983, NATO conducted a large-scale, multi-day military drill called Able Archer, which simulated the start of a nuclear war. The exercise took place during heightened U.S.–Soviet tension, just after the deployment of missiles capable of reaching Moscow in 8 minutes. The Soviets feared it was a cover for a real attack and placed nuclear forces on alert, even transporting nuclear weapons from storage sites to bombers by helicopter.
Ironically, Able Archer took place a few months after the movie WarGames was released.
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The Week the World Almost Ended | Slate and Able Archer 83 Nearly Sparked Nuclear War With the Soviets
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NTI's Critical Mass Project supports the creative community to tell stories about nuclear risks in film and television.
When Yeltsin Reached for the Nuclear Briefcase
