RYaN.

This is coolbert:

Much to do about nothing? War scare totally or near totally unfounded?

RYaN = Russian acronym for surprise nuclear attack.

"THE MYTHICAL WAR SCARE OF 1983"

Thanks to the Internet web site War on the Rocks and the article by SIMON MILES.

"But did the scenario for NATO’s Able Archer 83 command-post exercise nearly become dangerously real? Did the world really come to the brink of nuclear war?"

NATO command post exercise [CPX] and within context the prior simulated war-game Proud Prophet caused such consternation and excessive concern among the Soviet military and at the highest level of the national political command authority that a nuclear atomic thermonuclear war nearly occurred?

Such as alleged. And has been "gospel" for quite a while now.

ACCORDING TO "GOSPEL" THE SOVIETS SAW THE NATO CPX ABLE ARCHER AS A PRETEXT FOR A PRE-EMPTIVE NUCLEAR ATTACK ON THE SOVIET UNION. A PERSPECTIVE AND INTERPRETATION THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE SOVIETS TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN PRE-EMPTIVE ATOMIC ATTACK!

Rather the CPX was correctly perceived by the Soviets for what it was and concerns NOT unduly raised?

coolbert.