Apr 25, 2017 good afternoon, and welcome to the william g. The secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war book online at best prices in india on. Frustratingly, much of the official us documentation on the 1983 war scare that details the detected soviet response to able archer is redacted. Able archer 83 was a tenday nato command post exercise starting on november 2, 1983, that spanned western europe, centered on the supreme headquarters allied powers europe shape headquarters situated at casteau, north of the belgian city of mons. Nov 09, 2015 able archer 83 is an invaluable resource on one of the most dangerous moments of the cold war. Able archer 83 is a reminder not only that nuclear weapons are one of the few existential threats the united states and its allies face, but also that humility is key to the conduct of national. The soviets reacted badly when nato launched able archer 83. Able archer exercises simulated a period of conflict escalation, culminating in a coordinated nuclear attack. In early november, nato began an annual war game, able archer, designed to simulate a. May 22, 2018 by 1983, the united states and the soviet union possessed more than 18,000 nuclear warheads. This book will appeal to subject matter experts, cold war students, those interested in the reagan administration, and anybody who thinks that accidental nuclear war or war through misperception are impossible. The work concerns a joint nato military exercise in november 1983 designated as able archer 83.
Able archer 83, the london cia station reported, presumably on the basis of. Nov 02, 2016 he has also produced the able archer 83 sourcebook, the comprehensive declassified collection of documents on the 1983 nuclear war scare. By 1983, the united states and the soviet union possessed more than 18,000 nuclear warheads. The secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war, nate joness new book on how the united states may have inadvertently placed our relations with the soviet union on a hair trigger during the 1983 nato nuclear release exercise, is now on shelves. Im david ferriero, archivist of the united states, and im pleased you could join us for todays discussion with nate jones about his new book, able archer 83. Thus, on 2 november 1983, as soviet intelligence services were attempting to detect the signs of a nuclear strike, nato began to simulate one. In his book based on newly declassified documents, nate jones tells the chilling story about how, in november 1983, a soviet misinterpretation of nato war games almost led to nuclear war. So in the mind of the american public its pretty much all on them. In the exercise able archer 83 no tanks nor troops took the field. Coordinated from the supreme headquarters allied powers europe headquarters in casteau, belgium, it involved nato forces throughout western europe, beg. In the video below, nate explains how the able archer source book was compiled. May 31, 2018 the british historian and filmmaker taylor downings new book, 1983. Able archer 83 is an invaluable resource on one of the most dangerous moments of the cold war. Able archer 83 is the codename for a command post exercise carried out in november 1983 by.
The able archer 83 sourcebook the definitive online collection of over 1,000 pages of declassified documents on the 1983 war scare project directed by nate jones. Dec 06, 2016 able archer 83 is an invaluable resource on one of the most dangerous moments of the cold war. The book contains an unmatched collection of previously secret documents about the war scare of 1983 and the able archer exercise at the center of it. The soviets were familiar with this exercise from previous years, but the 1983 version included two important changes.
If youre curious about the fascinating history around the able archer series of events, check out the bbc documentary on the subject, able archer 1983 the brink of apocalypse its available for free, you can get through it in 75 minutes and be much better informed at the end than wasting a buck on this book. Able archer 83 share book recommendations with your friends. If you want to learn from history, this is the place to start. Reagan, andropov, and a world on the brink is a terrific book that should terrify anyone who reads it. Collection nate jones, able archer 83 access open for. The secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war kindle edition by jones, nate, blanton, thomas s download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. On november 8, an emergency telegram was sent to kgb residencies informing them that nato forces had been placed on high alert. Jun 16, 2017 able archer 83 the secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war edited by nate jones. Able archer 83 was a tenday command post exercise starting on november 2, 1983, 1 2 that spanned western europe, centered on the supreme headquarters allied powers europe shape headquarters in casteau, north of the city of mons.
Two books tell the grim story of the reaganera moment when the. Bob stecks adventures of a spymaster book 2 by james ward 4. Most people whove looked into the situation have concluded that the world was closer to wwiii in november 1983 than any time after the cuban missile crisis. Jan 25, 2017 in his book based on newly declassified documents, nate jones tells the chilling story about how, in november 1983, a soviet misinterpretation of nato war games almost led to nuclear war. Reagan, andropov, and a world on the brink washington. Another notable incident in 1983 occurred during an annual nato command post exercise codenamed able archer 83. Therefore, i propose moving this page back to able archer 83 to maintain the articles fastatus and one of the two must go, and with all due respect to this article, able archer 83 was here first although not because of the here first bit, but coz able archer 83 got fa, not 1983 nuclear war scare. The fulcrum of the bookthe able archer exercise and the soviet reaction to itis somewhat anticlimactic. How the world reached the brink of nuclear war not once. Able archer 83 audiodatei horbeispiel anhoren engl. Able archer 83 the secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war. Europeans were declaring the outbreak of a cold war ii, and president mitterrand compared the situation to the 1962 cuban. Nov 01, 2016 able archer 83 is an invaluable resource on one of the most dangerous moments of the cold war. The secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war edited by nate jones.
In november 1983, the annual nato exercise codenamed able archer took place in west germany. The able archer 83 sourcebook national security archive. President reagan says in his memoirswithout reference to british intelligence reports or able archerthat in late 1983 he was surprised to learn that many people at the top of the soviet hierarchy were genuinely afraid of america and americans, and many soviet officials feared us not only as adversaries but as potential aggressors who might hurl nuclear weapons at them in a first strike. As with able archer exercises from previous years, the purpose of the exercise was to simulate a period of conflict escalation, culminating in the us military attaining a simulated defcon 1 coordinated nuclear attack. Oct 20, 2016 able archer 83 the secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war.
Mar 11, 2018 oct 21, 2016 able archer 83 is an invaluable resource on one of the most dangerous moments of the cold war. Finding answers to the able archer 83 nuclear war scare by nate jones, bulletin of the atomic scientists, november, 20. Jul 25, 2018 in november 1983, the annual nato exercise codenamed able archer took place in west germany. Able archer 83 is the codename for a command post exercise carried out in november 1983 by the north atlantic treaty organization nato. Able archer 83 project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Nonetheless, enough evidence is retained in the declassified text to prove that preparations for nuclear war were carried out in the ussr in the days surrounding the able archer exercise. May 21, 20 gordievsky incorrectly identifies the date that able archer began as november 2, 1983, rather than november 7, 1983, as reported by the us air force afteraction reports.
In november 1983, soviet nuclear forces went on high alert. More recent research has asserted able archer 83 began on november 4, 1983, but this is also incorrect. For the first time longrange us b52 planes were used and nato changed its codes during the exercise. Inside able archer 83, the nuclear war game that put u. A rather stunning array of indicators countdown to declassification. The british historian and filmmaker taylor downings new book, 1983. In november 1983, the annual nato exercise codenamed able archer. Obviously the world did not end in nuclear disaster in 1983. The second incident, known as able archer 83, was sparked by a routine nato. For the national security archives complete collection of over 1,000 declassified documents on the 1983 war scare. Within days, kgb agents working on operation ryan reported changes in the movement of foreign officers in bases around europe. How close did the soviet union and the united states come to nuclear war in 1983. The documentation of this 1983 war scare for the national security archive was in large part nate jones project. People lived in a world that was constantly 30 minutes away from conflagration on a global scale.
He earned his ma in cold war history from the george washington university, where he used foia to write his thesis on the 1983 able archer nuclear war scare. Manchanda uses the phrase in reference to the able archer 83 crisis as explaining a nonevent. Operation able archer, conducted in november 1983 by the us and its nato allies was so realistic it made the russians believe that a nuclear. In 1987 president reagan met oleg gordievsky, the british asset that revealed the danger of able archer 83. Dec 22, 2016 the book contains an unmatched collection of previously secret documents about the war scare of 1983 and the able archer exercise at the center of it.
The world in conflict all the peripheral campaigns, november 9th14th the conflagration in europe between the two superpowers produce, as its first collateral effect, the loss of any inhibition and restrain applied to force in any other latent or ongoing local conflict, all over the world. As foia coordinator, he succeeded in getting all these wonderful documents declassified and released. Fischer in her book the reagan reversal, pin able archer 83 as profoundly affecting president reagan and. The work concerns a joint nato military exercise in. Able archer 83 is an event that still confuses historians and many others as to what happened. Theres a world of new ideas in every books newsletter. And no matter how provocative able archer may have seemed to the kremlins perspective, the soviets still began hostilities by invading western europe. Able archer 83 the secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war edited by nate jones.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading able archer 83. The exercise, codenamed able archer, spanned europe and simulated european command and communications procedures during a. The secret history of the nato exercise that almost triggered nuclear war. Cold war junkies have long known about able archer 83, a nato exercise that the soviet union believed to be an elaborate charade to cover a sneak attack on them. In 1983 cinema audiences flocked to see the latest james bond movie in which r. Able archer 83 is the codename for a command post exercise carried out in november 1983 by the north atlantic treaty organization. The able archer war scare declassified pfiab report released. He has also produced the able archer 83 sourcebook, the comprehensive declassified collection of documents on the 1983 nuclear war scare. Reagan, andropov, and a world on the brink by taylor. October 10, 1983, diary entry by ronald reagan part two the nato nuclear release exercise at the heart of the 1983 war scare included at least four new components that differed from previous routine exercises, according to detailed, newly declassified chronologies of able archer 83. Able archer almost started a nuclear war with russia in 1983. Jun 15, 2018 lastly, although no actual troops were used in able archer, the exercise moved its imaginary forces to high alert. The final war scare electronic briefing book will present the us intelligence communitys analysis of the 1983 episode, including three declassified reports composed in the aftermath of able archer 83 in which the intelligence agencies, which had previously largely concluded that soviet political and military leaders were huffing and puffing. Reagan, andropov, and a world on the brink downing, taylor on.