What happened in 1983 to make the Soviet Union so afraid of a potential nuclear strike from the United States that they sent mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles into the field, placing them on a three-minute alert?
In his book, "The Brink: President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983," Marc Ambinder explains the anxious period between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1984, with the “Able Archer ’83” war game as the fulcrum of the tension. With astonishing and clarifying new details, he recounts the scary series of the close encounters that tested the limits of ordinary humans and powerful leaders alike. Ambinder explains how political leadership ultimately triumphed over misunderstandings, helping the two countries maintain a fragile peace.
