An In-Depth History and Analysis of the Third World War
In early August of 1987 the Third World War came to an end. The guns fell silent, strategic forces came off their high alert statuses and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. In the final twenty-four hours of the war the planet teetered on the edge of the abyss with the United States …
Continue reading "Post War Geopolitics: Unfinished Business"
As 2 August, 1987 pressed on towards its climactic conclusion, it was becoming evident that if the world survived the dangerous and rapid escalation then underway, the domestic political dynamic of the Soviet Union, and the geopolitical dynamic of Eastern Europe would appear quite different in the immediate postwar days and weeks. In hindsight the …
Continue reading "Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond Part I"
The other Warsaw Pact member-states saw the writing on the wall. As the Third World War continued along on a trajectory of perilous escalation as D+24 went on, some Pact governments were making desperate efforts to jettison affiliations to the Soviet Union in the hope it would spare their nations from nuclear fire. Others adopted …
Continue reading "Death Knell Of The Pact D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part II"
Wünsdorf was chosen as a target because of its military relevance. The East German town played host to the peacetime headquarters of Group Soviet Forces Germany and was positioned high on NATO’s target list. Many East German military officers and government officials were aware that Wünsdorf would be targeted in the event of a limited …
Continue reading "Death Knell Of The Pact D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part I"
The first meeting between US and Soviet diplomats took place at a Swiss industrialist’s estate on the shores of Lake Geneva. Security was provided by Swiss Federal Police and specially trained detachments of soldiers from the Swiss armed forces. The world media was made aware of a meeting between US and Soviet officials set for …
Continue reading "Politics of Global War: Diplomacy Resumes D+25 (3 August, 1987)"
Happy Monday, everyone. I hope the weekend was a good one for all of you. Now it’s back to reality for all of us regardless of whether we’re ready for it or not. Oh well, such is life. 😊 I was hoping to get out an entry on the initial negotiations between US and Soviet …
Good morning, folks. As I mentioned the other day, I want to take a few minutes and give everyone an idea about what’s coming up on the blog in the next week or so. I’ve yet to decide how I’ll go about presenting the details and loose ends from D+24 0000-2200 but I’m working on …
Continue reading "A Look Ahead At Labor Day Weekend And The Week Beyond"
Moscow, USSR 1630 Zulu (2030 Local Time) The second meeting of significance for opponents of the general secretary was also held in Vladimir Dolgikh’s dacha. This one was smaller than the first one with only Dolgikh and a silent ally present. This second man was a Politburo member too, as well as being one of …
Moscow, USSR 1215 Zulu (1615 Local) The mid-afternoon session of the Politburo concluded earlier than anticipated. The mood had soured very early on and before anyone could think of containment it was too late. Vladimir Dolgikh was the figure that the opposition rallied around, somewhat to Romanov’s surprise. He’d expected another twenty-four hours to pass …
*Authors Note: Shorter post today, unfortunately. Time has been at a premium this weekend. Next post will be up Tuesday. Happy Father's Day!* Moscow, USSR 0215 Zulu (0615 Local) The meeting was conducted at the rather modest, by the standards of Soviet elites, dacha of Vladimir Dolgikh in the Lenin Hills. Dolgikh and two other …
Third World War 1987 