Declassified DoD Interviews Reveal Soviet Cold War Fears and Nuclear Realities

Document: Declassified DoD Interviews Reveal Soviet Cold War Fears and Nuclear Realities Agency: Department of Defense Date: 2 September 2014 Notable: A 152-page file compiling firsthand interviews with senior Soviet military officials, policymakers, and Western counterparts, exposing a mix of overestimation, fear, and internal debate that shaped the era's arms race and nuclear brinkmanship. Released through the Freedom of Information Act, this document was obtained by The Black Vault, a leading online Freedom of Information Act clearing house. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military. Discover the truth at http://www.theblackvault.com. This document is made available through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of THE CROWDED PATH TO UNLIMITED SOVIET ARSENALS: What Soviet Party Leaders, General Staff, and Industrialists Thought They Were Doing in the Cold War. The Interview Record, OSD NET ASSESSMENT CONTRACT #MDA903-92-C-0147. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OFFICE OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 1155 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1155 2 3 SEP 2014 Ref: 14-F-1329 DTIC# 2014-181 Mr. John Greenewald, Dear Mr. Greenewald, This is the final response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Defense Technical Information Center dated August 13, 2014, and received in this Office on August 26, 2014, along with 152 responsive pages. The enclosed 152 pages are provided as responsive to your request, a copy of which is included. The pages are being released without excision. Inasmuch as this constitutes a full grant of your request, I am closing your file in this Office. There are no assessable fees associated with this response. Sincerely, Paul J. Jacobsmeyer Chief Enclosures: The Black Vault is the largest online Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document clearing house in the world. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military. Discover the truth at http://www.theblackvault.com. This document is made available through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of THE CROWDED PATH TO UNLIMITED SOVIET ARSENALS: What Soviet Party Leaders, General Staff, and Industrialists Thought They Were Doing in the Cold War The Interview Record OSD NET ASSESSMENT CONTRACT #MDA903-92-C-0147. A^3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Comment on Interview Process.......................................................................................1 Marshal Sergei F. Akhromeev.........................................................................................3 Marshal Sergei R Akhromeev........................................................................................ 5 Gen.-Lt. Gelii Viktorovich Batenin................................................................. ......7 Sergei Blagovolin.................................................................. 10 Harold Brown....................................................................................................................11 Zbigniew Brzezinski.........................................................................................................13 Professor Dmitrii S. Chereshkin, VNI1S1...................................................................... 15 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Andriian. A. Danilevich........................................................................16 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Andriian. A. Danilevich........................................................................22 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Andriian. A. Danilevich........................................................................23 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Andriian. A. Danilevich..........................................................................34 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Andriian. A. Danilevich...................................,...................................49 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Andriian. A. Danilevich........................................................................56 Gen.-Maj. Vladimir Zinovievich Dvorkin.......................................................................60 Gen.-Col. Makhmut A. Gareev........................................................................................61 Gen.-Col. Makhmut A. Gareev........................................................................................63 Dr. Fred C. Ikle................. ...................................,...„.„.„,............................................ 66 Gen.-Col. Igor V. Illarionov..,.,........................................................................................68 Gen.-Col. Igor V. Illarionov.............................................................................................72 Kalashnikov, A.S...............................................................................................................75 Kalashnikov, A.S...............................................................................................................82 Vilalii Leonidovich Kataev.............................................................................................84 Vitalii Leonidovich Kataev..............................................................................................87 Gen.-Maj. (Ret.) Iurii A. Kirshin.....................................................................................90 Gen.-Maj. (Ret.) Iurii A. Kirshin .....................................................................................92 Robert W. Komer............................................................................................................93 Gen.-Col. (Ret.) Korobushin...........................................................................................94 Gen.-Lt. (Ret.) Nikolai Vasil'evich Kravets....................................................................97 Gen. Col. Gregorii Fedorovich Krivosheev....................................................................99 Colonel Petr M. Laptinov................................................................................................103 Andrew W. Marshall........................................................................................................106 Rod McDaniel..................................................................................................................108 Mozzhorin, lu. A................................................................................................................110 i Mozzhorin, lu. A.................................. .......................................................................... 113 Vladimir Rubanov.......................................................................................................... 115 James R. Schlesinger........................................................................................................117 Vitalii V. Shlykov................................................................................ 120 Strogonov, Boris Aleksandrovich......................................................................................121 Viktor M. Surik