The idea of a nuclear war seems like a fantastical nightmare we can only imagine. One that we may see in a movie or read about in a dystopian world. But the fear of such a conflict was once a reality. Nearly fifty years of tense relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, known as the Cold War (1947-1991), brought with it fears of a third world war and nuclear destruction. But few realize how close we truly were to nuclear armageddon. The calm decision making of two Soviet men, decades apart, saved the world from catastrophe.
The epitome of the Cold War was October, 1962. American spy planes had taken images of Soviet missiles over Cuba, just 90 miles from the American mainland. The Soviets had made a secret deal with communist Cuba in July of that year to store their missiles there, capable of reaching almost anywhere in the United States. On the 22nd of October, Kennedy announced a blockade of Cuba and gave the Soviets an ultimatum. That they remove their missiles from Cuba immediately. With being on the verge of nuclear conflict, both sides held their breath, not knowing what was to come. In response to the blockade, the Soviets sent out submarines close to the American blockade. Submarine B-59 was ordered close to the American line. It, along with other submarines, held nuclear torpedoes. These submarines could fire these torpedoes without authorization from the Soviet homeland, as long as all commanders authorized the launch. As B-59 approached, it was spotted by American ships and was forced deep underground. This meant they could not receive any communication from the outside world. Conditions were brutal, as temperatures in the submarine rose, and the air grew stuffy.
The following is a journal entry written by Anatoly Andreev, a man aboard the submarine:
“For the last four days, they didn’t even let us come up to the periscope depth … My head is bursting from the stuffy air. … Today three sailors fainted from overheating again … The regeneration of air works poorly, the carbon dioxide content [is] rising, and the electric power reserves are dropping. Those who are free from their shifts, are sitting immobile, staring at one spot. … Temperature in the sections is above 50 [122ºF].”
American ships began dropping non-lethal depth charges to lure the submarine back to the surface. But with no communication from the outside, one of the submarine commanders believed this meant nuclear war had begun. The second commander agreed, but the third, Vasili Arkhipov, refused. He correctly believed that war had not begun and these depth charges were to bring them back to the surface. All three commanders had to agree for the nuclear torpedo to be fired, but Arkhipov's refusal meant it couldn’t be fired. After arguing with the other two commanders, he reasoned with them and the submarine surfaced and retreated.
Luckily, on the 28th, both countries reached a deal, and Soviet missiles were shipped out of Cuba, and American missiles were to be shipped out of Turkey and Italy. During the entirety of the Cold War, tensions had never run higher. If it wasn’t for the rational and careful thinking of Vasili Arkhipov, the nuclear torpedo would’ve been fired at an American ship. This act of aggression would’ve almost certainly led to nuclear conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, with unforeseen consequences. It’s mind-boggling-ly terrifying how one man, and his thought process, had the power to send our world into catastrophe, and if he had somehow been persuaded by his other two commanders, it's likely many of us wouldn’t be here today.
But what’s even more astonishing is this wasn’t the only time during the cold war that our world was saved by the rationality of one man.
This is an image taken by an American U2 spy plane over Cuba. The image shows where the cubans the missiles given to them by the soviets, capable of reaching the mainland US.
This is an image of a Soviet missile being paraded through Moscow's Red Square. When stationed in Cuba, these were the missiles capable of reaching the United States.
In the 1980s, tensions reignited as staunch anti-Soviet Reagan was elected. He increased the defense budget and named the Soviet Union an “evil empire”. In 1983, Stanislav Petrov commanded a Soviet Bunker outside of Moscow, in charge of monitoring American airspace with Soviet satellites. Petrov, in the commanding chair, was alerted that five American missiles had been launched. The words “launch” on the screen froze Petrov. As commander, Petrov’s job was to inform his commanders, so the government could prepare its retaliation. But Petrov went against his duty, and ultimately decided not to warn his commanders. The reason being; a, he believed the alert was false, b, he didn’t want to be responsible for starting the third world war. In the end, he was right, and the alert was false.
He told the following to the Washington Post:
“I had a funny feeling in my gut,.....I didn’t want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it”.
He also said in a 2014 documentary, The Man Who Saved the World, that he“refused to be guilty of starting World War III”.
This story was shoved under the carpet for many years as the Soviets didn’t want the world criticizing its faulty monitoring system, but since the fall of the Soviet Union, Petrov has received recognition for saving the world. Petrov passed away in May, 2017 at the age of 77.
It was the calm, rational thinking of this one man, to even go so far as to go against his duty, that the deaths of millions, possibly billions, was avoided. It's insane and terrifying how out of our control the fate of the world is, and how many close calls we’ve had with catastrophic destruction the world has never seen before. And how these two men, with their rational decision making, were able to save the world.
References
All That's Interesting. “This Man Singlehandedly Prevented World War III – and You've Probably Never Heard of Him.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 5 Apr. 2019, https://allthatsinteresting.com/vasili-arkhipov.
Anthony, Peter, director. The Man Who Saved the World. The Man Who Saved the World , 2014, https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-man-who-saved-the-world/umc.cmc.7e93g1adz42b0incqxb9ae24c?action=play.
“The Cold War - Oversimplified (Part 2).” YouTube, 24 Jan. 2019, https://youtu.be/OIYy32RuHao.
Kikoy, Herbert. “Vasili Arkhipov - Soviet Hero That Prevented WW 3.” WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 23 Jan. 2019, https://www.warhistoryonline.com/cold-war/vasili-cuban-missile-crisis.html?chrome=1.
Phillips, Kristine. “The Former Soviet Officer Who Trusted His Gut - and Averted a Global Nuclear Catastrophe.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 28 Oct. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/09/18/the-former-soviet-officer-who-trusted-his-gut-and-averted-a-global-nuclear-catastrophe/.
Serena, Katie. “The Russian Man Who Prevented the Outbreak of Nuclear War Dies at 77.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 26 Mar. 2020, https://allthatsinteresting.com/stanislav-petrov.
Image Sources
By Central Intelligence Agency - http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/photos.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10213987
By Unknown Lockheed U-2 pilot - The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2222915
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