Did Vasili Arkhipov save the world from nuclear destruction?
I was 14 at the time of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and, like many millions around the world, I was scared that the world was about to enter a nuclear war. So I was fascinated by the sixth episode of the Sky Atlantic series “Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States” which covers the period of the crisis.
I was not previously aware of the role of Vasili Arkhipov who was naval officer aboard a Soviet submarine whose captain wished to launch a nuclear torpedo attack on American vessels. Oliver Stone credits Arkipov – and John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev – with saving the world from a nuclear conflagration.
You can read about Arkhipov and his decision here.