Date

Mar 29, 1984

Description

Another record which remains in the volume is a March 1984 memorandum from Vice Chairman of the National Intelligence Council Herbert E. Meyer that circulated throughout the CIA leadership. The highly redacted memo reveals that as early as spring 1984 there were signs that the U.S. was concerned about the Soviet reaction to Able Archer 83 and that some in the national security community thought it wise to warn the USSR of future nuclear exercises.

In 2013, the National Security Archive published a memo about another military exercise, Night Train 84, written by Gen. Colin Powell, then military assistant to the Secretary of Defense. In that memo Powell warned that, “Conduct of a worldwide nuclear exercise could show strength of purpose. On the other hand, it could be perceived as showing an intent for use of nuclear weapons.”

Source

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume IV, Soviet Union, January 1983–March 1985, p 744.
Central Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Council, Job 88T00528R: Policy Files (1982–1984), Box 1, Folder 1: VC/NIC Chron January–March 1984. Top Secret.

Document published in following posting(s):

The Censored History of Able Archer 83

Nov 14, 2025