[TheTrekkie]

We all know the story, from the western perspective.

But since the Cold War ended we got the opportunity to get facts from the other side, too.

And with our nowadays facts we have to admit the only reason that no nuclear war happened was a single russian submarine officer.

What happened?
The Russian ships had order to use their nuclear weapons against American cities if the Americans attack. They told the USA, maybe they thought Russia was bluffing, but the order really existed.

And then it occured. A Russian submarine got attacked by an American ship, the officers believing the war had started. The access codes of three officers were necessary to start a nuclear weapon. Two of them were ready to execute their orders and fire.
Only one single man denied and persuaded the others to make the submarine go up to the surface of the water to wait for a direct contact to Moscow instead of executing the nuclear attack.

Wassili Alexandrowitsch Archipow avoided WWIII with his decision that day. Thx, he is the reason we are living.

[Zardoz]

Very true. But how many times did this happen on American ships, or bases during the cold war. All of these people should be honored on both former sides for their resolve.

[TheTrekkie]

Originally Posted by Zardoz

Very true. But how many times did this happen on American ships, or bases during the cold war. All of these people should be honored on both former sides for their resolve.

Of course this wasn't the only situation a war could have been started.

But the Cuban Crisis was closer than almost all the others. When ships in other situations got in trouble it was more like one of the small incidents on the Romulan or Klingon neutral zone.

But during this crisis a war really was possible. It was not one of these situations one officer on the American/Russian side was making some troubles for the officers of the other side by maneuvering his ship or aircraft a bit too far into enemy territory or something like that. It was an incident the eyes of the top politicians on both sides considered, orders for a war already were prepared and the last world war still wasn't long ago, the Cold War and its balance of deterrent no stable,yet.

[Botany Bay]

Interestning find and a great example for a lecture I had to hold once during my training in the military. I chose to refer about orders and responsibility and the difference between the two. A uniform and an order do not take away the personal responsibility. Seems Archipow was an officer aware of the fact that soldiers are left alone with their responsibility as human beings for the rest of their lifes whatever the orders are.

The difference between a numb aye-sayer and a responsible human being in uniform.

[TheTrekkie]

Yes, such people needs the world.

And thinking about Zardoz comment once again. Maybe this would be the right place to name other "quiet" heroes, too.

The big names everyone remembers are the Ceasars, Hitlers, Stalins, ... of our history. This could be the place for the people usually nobody knows, who avoided wars instead of creating them.

[Zardoz]

Originally Posted by TheTrekkie

Yes, such people needs the world.

And thinking about Zardoz comment once again. Maybe this would be the right place to name other "quiet" heroes, too.

The big names everyone remembers are the Ceasars, Hitlers, Stalins, ... of our history. This could be the place for the people usually nobody knows, who avoided wars instead of creating them.

Maybe the time has come to do just that.