Item BRINK OF APOCALYPSE 2/7 - Interview with Gen Rodionov, USSR Army, Missile Warning Section, [2007]

Typescript transcript of interview with Gen Rodionov USSR Army, Missile Warning Section. Subjects include his role as his role and rank as Commander of the Missile Warning Section in 1983; the purpose of the Missile Warning Section, what the Missile Warning Section monitored “Evil Empire” speech, 1981; shooting down of Korean Airlines flight KAL 007; Able Archer; satellite interference; system producing false warnings and the frequency of false warnings; informing Andropov of missile launches; planned retaliation from USSR; Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI); defence against the SDI monitoring of Pershing II missile bases; reaction of Missile Warning Section forces to Able Archer; permanent state of combat readiness; the possibility of a pre-emptive strike from the USSR; hotline to the General Secretary; the money spent on new technological developments and the building up of new weapons; the Stanislav Petrov incident. Original interview conducted in Russian, transcript in English 31pp