Taylor Downing - 1983 - O Mundo à Beira do Apocalipse

'If you want to know what caused the end of the Cold War, read this book.' - The Times How a military exercise almost triggered World War III In 1983, audiences flocked to cinemas to see the latest James Bond film, in which Roger Moore defeats a Soviet general preparing to launch a nuclear attack against the West. As with all Bond films, audiences believed the plot was entirely fictional. Little did they know that the Soviets were in fact preparing to launch a nuclear attack on the West.

That year saw President Ronald Reagan increase defense spending, launching the 'Star Wars' program. And when a Korean civilian airliner was shot down in Soviet airspace, and Reagan described it as "a crime against humanity," Moscow, increasingly anxious about American language and behavior, wondered: will they attack?

Then, at the height of tensions, NATO initiated a war game called Able Archer 83, under which it requested permission to use nuclear weapons launch codes. Nervous, the Soviets became convinced that, under the guise of an exercise, the West was preparing to destroy the Soviet Union.

Based on previously unpublished interviews and over a thousand pages of secret documents recently released by Washington, Taylor Downing recounts this impressive and surprising story. 'A thrilling and frankly terrifying book.'

Tom Holland, author of Dynasty.