This week is the 40th anniversary of the Able Archer NATO Exercise where it is reckoned that the Soviet Union and NATO almost started a nuclear war. 1990 an investigation by the US President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, culminating in its highly secret report “The Soviet ‘War Scare’” The detailed PFIAB report concluded that the U.S. “may have inadvertently placed our relations with the Soviet Union on a hair trigger”. The following is an audio version of the talk I delivered to the Manchester Military History Society in October 2023.  Documents, videos, and other extra episode information here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode316 The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod 0:00 Introduction and overview of the episode 1:14 Comparison of the 1983 crisis and the Cuban missile crisis 2:38 Detente and the state of US/Soviet relations in the 1970s & early 80s 4:24 Introduction Ronald Reagan and his policies 5:25 Introduction to Yuri Andropov and his policies 8:56 Soviet intelligence Operation Ryan's purpose and indicators 12:49 Fleetex 83 US naval exercise appears to confirm Soviet suspicions that US is planning an attack 16:33 The downing of Korean Airlines Flight 007 22:30 Incidents soon after the Korean Airlines shootdown 26:08 Soviet early warning system warns of US missile attack 30:06 The US military intervention in Grenada 34:21 Brigadier General Leonard H Perroot's role in averting a nuclear war during Able Archer 83 41:43 Double agent's contributions to Western intelligence 51:26 Controversy about how close we came to nuclear war around Able Archer 54:30 Acknowledgement of financial supporters and continuation of Cold War conversation on Facebook Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices