| Summary/Abstract |
In the fall of 1983, the international tension that characterized the Cold War reached new heights. Since the election of President Ronald W. Reagan, Soviet and American leaders had not yet held a summit meeting amid reciprocal accusations. In September, the Soviets shot down a commercial airline flight (KAL 007) that had strayed off course over Soviet airspace killing 269 people, including Congressman Larry McDonald (D-GA).1 In November, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military exercise codenamed “Able Archer” allegedly induced the Soviets to believe that war was imminent. This was perhaps an exaggeration, but in the aftermath of what came to be called the “war scare” many U.S. officials were persuaded that the world had—like in October 1962—come again close to a nuclear confrontation.2 The anti nuclear movement that had gathered unprecedented popular support throughout Western Europe and the United States did not need “Able Archer” to be reminded of the ever-present specter of a nuclear holocaust so graphically depicted in the iconic 1983 film The Day After.
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