The Silent Savior of 1962

By: P. Rizzi de Souza

October 27th, 1962.  
 Decades have passed and this day may now seem relatively insignificant, yet, on this day, deep under the ocean, a decision had to be made, and its outcome prevented what could have been the end of the world.   
On October 27th, 1962, Vasily Arkhipov prevented a nuclear war from unleashing, yet his incredible story —despite its significance—has remained in the shadows: overlooked and underappreciated. 

Amidst the tense days of the Cuban missile crisis, nuclear war was mere inches away. Any abrupt action could result in a catastrophe: nuclear war. The Cuban missile crisis was no doubt the most intense part of the long-lasting Cold War; over a period of 13 days, politicians scrambled in desperation for a solution while millions feared for their lives.  

It all began when American U2 spy planes spotted Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba on the 14th of October. These missiles were located only 90 miles away from the US shoreline- close enough to target most major cities in eastern and central USA, a risk to the lives of countless Americans. At this time, then President John F Kennedy had limited options, he could: send a letter of protest to the UN- which would make the US look weak; Bomb the missile sites- which would be immoral and a direct act of war, or proceed with a military invasion of Cuba- an act of war and something the soviets would most likely respond to.  

JFK chose none of these. Instead, he ordered a naval blockade- or as he called it, “quarantine”- of Cuba on the 22nd of October, in order to prevent more soviet missiles from being delivered. 

By the 27th of October, negotiations and letters were already being exchanged by Kennedy and Khrushchev, yet at the same moment, near Cuba, a soviet submarine B-59, armed with a nuclear weapon, found itself targeted by US depth charges- sent with the intention to force the submarine to the surface. US ships did not know at the time that this submarine had such a lethal weapon on board, and the soviet submarine had no reliable communication or recent updates from Moscow.  

As a result of extreme pressure and a lack of information, 2 of the submarine's senior officers (including the captain) decided to launch their nuclear torpedo, certain that these charges were an attack and that they were witnessing the start of war. Yet, fortunately, all 3 senior officers on board had to agree to launch the torpedo, and thus, what would have been a devastating decision was averted. With his veto powers, Arkhipov- the 3rd senior officer on board, refused to launch the torpedo, convincing his peers that it was, in fact, just a signal to surface.  

And so, the B-59 surfaced and headed back to Russia, and this potentially catastrophic incident was resolved. No missile was ever launched, and by the 28th, the Cuban missile crisis came to an end, peacefully.   
This standoff was a moment of extreme tension where both nations were tested to their limits. Yet, beneath the bureaucracies of politics and negotiations, it was deep underwater where the world came the closest to nuclear war. After days in near-suffocating conditions, it was easy to desperately conclude that the US charges were an attack, yet, thanks to Arkhipov’s better senses the destructions that would ensue never happened. Although he was never widely celebrated during his lifetime, he shall always be known as "the man who saved the world" (Thomas S. Blanton).  

A nuclear war- is it a synonym for the end of the world? Thankfully, Arkhipov’s decision has given us humans the fortunate opportunity not to know.