38: Stanislav Petrov

 

Many people think that the closest the world has ever come to a Nuclear Holocaust was during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis between the USSR and the US. That’s not true.

The closest we came to an all-out Nuclear War was 38 years ago today (September 26, 1983.)

On that day the Soviet Nuclear Early-Warning System reported the launch of 1 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile with 4 more Missiles behind it, from bases in the US headed towards the Soviet Union.

Earlier that month (on September 1, 1983) the Soviet Military shot down a South Korean Passenger Jet, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, that had strayed into Soviet Airspace. All 269 people aboard the aircraft were killed including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald and many other Americans. So tensions between the two countries were already very high and strained.

Stanislav Petrov was the Duty Officer at the Command Center for the Oko Nuclear Early-Warning System when the system reported that a missile had been launched from the United States, followed by up to five more.

Petrov judged the reports to be a false alarm and his decision to disobey orders, against Soviet Military Protocol is credited with having prevented an erroneous retaliatory Nuclear Attack on the United States and its NATO allies that could have resulted in the Third World War and a large-scale Nuclear War which could have wiped out half of the population of the countries involved.

An investigation later confirmed that the Soviet Satellite Warning System had indeed malfunctioned.

Petrov underwent intense questioning by his Superiors about his judgment. Initially, he was praised for his decision by his Superiors, but shortly afterwards he was reprimanded by them. He received no awards because the incident and other bugs found later in the Missile Detection System embarrassed his Supervisors and the Scientists responsible for it who would all have been punished by the Communist Central Committee.

He was reassigned to a less sensitive post and soon took an early retirement.

Because of this incident, Petrov is often credited as having "Saved the World.” He is more widely known outside of Russia.

Petrov was married to Raisa, and had a Son, Dmitri, and a Daughter, Yelena. His wife died of Cancer in 1997. He died on May 17, 2017 at 77 years old.