30 Years Ago Today, The World Almost Ended

[DevonRex]

8. KAL 007 shot down by Soviet MiG Sept 1, 1983, on its way to NYC

from Seoul via Anchorage.

1983 was a very, very dangerous year. I was a Russian linguist in MI then. We lost a lot of sleep. We were on a constant state of alert. Able Archer almost destroyed the planet. Or, a faulty Soviet piece of equipment almost did. I still have nightmares but not just about that.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007
The Soviet Union initially denied knowledge of the incident,[2] but later admitted the shootdown, claiming that the aircraft was on a spy mission.[3] The Politburo said it was a deliberate provocation by the United States[4] to test the Soviet Union's military preparedness, or even to provoke a war. The United States accused the Soviet Union of obstructing search and rescue operations.[5] The Soviet military suppressed evidence sought by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) investigation, notably the flight data recorders,[6] which were eventually released eight years later after the collapse of the Soviet Union.[7]

The incident was one of the tensest moments of the Cold War and resulted in an escalation of anti-Soviet sentiment, particularly in the United States. The opposing points of view on the incident were never fully resolved. Consequently, several groups continue to dispute official reports and offer alternative theories of the event. The subsequent release of KAL 007 flight transcripts and flight recorders by the Russian Federation has clarified some details.