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The Man Who Saved the World(Fixed Link)

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  • The Man Who Saved the World(Fixed Link)


    Watched this amazing story last night. If you were alive in 1962, you would not be alive today were it not for the courage of one young Russian naval submarine officer who, at the very last second, took it upon his shoulders, and his alone, to prevent the certain nuclear annhilation of the human race. Perhaps the greatest unsung hero in human history!
    Rhode Island

  • #2
    Unfortunately, the link says the file is no longer available. There is, by the way, another incident reported in the similarly-named documentary “The Red Button and the Man Who Saved the World”.
    On 26 September 1983, a 44 year old Russian called Stanislav Petrov was the duty officer in charge of the Oko nuclear early-warning system when his screens reported 5 missiles being launched from the United States.
    Petrov regarded only 5 missiles as an illogical start to an all-out attack. He was also “old school” trained and didn’t completely trust the satellite launch detection system (which was relatively new). Against protocol, he decided to wait several minutes to see if he could confirm the launches from ground radar installations. He couldn’t, and judged it to be a false alarm. He was right, and subsequent investigations revealed the satellite system to be flawed – the false report having been generated by a rare alignment of sunlight on high-altitude clouds.
    Petrov’s role was to monitor and report missile attack warnings up the chain of command such that decisions could be made about retaliatory attacks. Although such decisions should not have been based on reports from a single monitoring site, US-Soviet relationships had deteriorated to the point where the Russians were on “hair-trigger” alert and systems were geared towards the expectation of a surprise attack and the need for rapid retaliation. It is widely believed by analysts (and by Petrov himself) that, given only a couple of minutes to decide, the Russian leadership would have launched a retaliatory attack if the report had reached them.
    Petrov was questioned intensely after the incident but ultimately neither rewarded nor reprimanded (apart from a censure for “improper filing of paperwork”). He was reassigned to a less sensitive post and took early retirement. The incident wasn’t made public until the 1990’s and subsequently Petrov has been honoured and awarded several international prizes, including the “Dresden Preis 2013”. That one will be presented to him on 17th February this year along with 25,000 Euros ($32,000). Doesn’t seem like much for saving the world, does it?
    In interview, Petrov says: “I reported it was a false alarm, despite what the screens were showing. I just believed in my judgment and experience, and I trusted those around me.”
    I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.

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    • #3
      Roger, thanks, will read when I can. Just reposted the link which worked. I hope. The link did work at first, so, should it gaffe again, simply google ''the man who saved the world", then just click on "watch full episode". Part of the series Secrets of the Dead on PBS. Absolutely amazing how close we came. Revealed in 2002, but didn't hear it at the time. Raises the Cuban Missile Crisis to a level those of us alive at the time never realized. I remember the school drills of hiding under our desks, but I never knew we came this incredibly close hmy:
      Rhode Island

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