Moscow-Washington Hotline
The Washington station of the Moscow Washington Hotline.
The Moscow-Washington hotline was made on June 20, 1963 after the Cuban Missile Crisis. This hotline was a direct link between Washington D.C. and Moscow and was used as a quick and accurate connection between the two. Washington. It was not a phone, but more of a telegram that could send messages between the two superpowers. The hotline influenced change around the world by preventing minor mistakes or skirmishes from turning into real wars and crises between the Soviet Union and the United States. One time when the hotline was used was when a fleet of Soviet ships and a fleet of US ships were in close proximity of each other. The hotline helped prevent actions that could have turned into nuclear war. The hotline is still running today and it is part of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center that was implemented by Ronald Reagan. The hotline has created an easier source of communication between Moscow and Washington and has helped keep peace between the two.
Interview with Paul Hughes, chief of staff of the United States Institute of Peace - he talks about the Moscow-Washington hotline.