D+18 1701-1730 Zulu 27 July, 1987

Moscow, USSR 1705 Zulu (2005 Local Time) “Both of our missiles have successfully hit their targets,” KGB Chairman Viktor Chebrikov reported. General Secretary Romanov took the news with equanimity. “Thank you, Viktor Mikhailovich.” He then turned away from the window and looked in the direction of the other Defense Council members. “So, now we wait, …

D+18 1640-1700 Zulu 27 July, 1987

Aboard NEACP-Primary, 1636 Zulu (1236 Local Time) “FLASH OPREP-3 PINNACLE—NUDET!” a USAF captain seated at a console in the battle staff area called out. “Coordinates: longitude 40 degrees—” “Forget the lat/long,” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff barked. “Just give us the altitude and map location.” “Altitude 6,000 feet. Central district of Madrid, …

The Politics of Global War: Dueling Dangers in Moscow D+14 (23 July, 1987) Part III

The hotline message arrived in Moscow a short time before the Defense Council meeting was set to begin. Romanov’s military aide retrieved the translated copy of the message and brought it directly to the general secretary, who was just then making the walk from his office to the conference room where the meeting was to …

The Politics of Global War: In the Shadow of Escalation Part II *Limited Post*

The National Security Council convened in the Situation Room shortly after midnight on 23 July, 1987. Despite the hour, President Reagan appeared quite fresh and well-rested. The chief executive of the United States had been under enormous pressure over the past two weeks. The fate of the world was quite literally on his shoulders. Though …

WWIII Pop Culture: By Dawn’s Early Light Part II

By Dawn’s Early Light’s greatest asset is its combination of cast and perspective. The story structure is the engine that propels the plot. Instead of one storyline, By Dawn’s gives the viewer four major plotlines moving in the same direction, all closing in on the same convergence point. It has more in common with a …

WWIII Pop Culture: By Dawn’s Early Light Part I

Nuclear war movies generally share similar plotlines, components, and even underlying messages. In probably 99% of these films the viewer is treated to graphic scenes showing the wanton destruction of cities, and wholesale slaughter of millions of innocent men, women, and children. The obligatory towering mushroom clouds and flashes of blinding white light are presented …

World War III Pop Culture: The Day After Part III

Even though The Day After received accolades, and rave reviews this doesn’t mean the finish product was a flawless movie. There were mistakes, just as there are in almost every movie ever made. Some were noticeable and identified by many viewers rather quickly. Others were more subtle and provincial, picked up mainly by residents of …

World War III Pop Culture: The Day After Part II

The lead up to nuclear war presented in The Day After is a textbook example of a late Cold War era escalatory scenario. It is practically an exact copy of the ones used in Title X wargames at the time, and very similar to what could be found in military publications of the ‘80s. Realism …

World War III Pop Culture: The Day After Part I

On Sunday, 20 November, 1983 a distinctly unique television movie aired on ABC here in the United States. The subject of the movie was one considered to be taboo at the time, and to an extent it remains so today: Nuclear war. Specifically, the effects of a nuclear conflict on a group of average American …

Coming In February, 2020: The Day After Review

I have never been a big fan of post-apocalyptic fiction and cinema. I realize it is quite popular and trendy these days but to be honest it bores the hell out of me. I could care less about what society looks like two generations after an apocalyptic event has ravaged the planet. The dystopian government …