Cold War Hotline Anniversary

One of the most potent symbols of the Cold War era - the telephone hotline linking the Kremlin and the White House - is 40 years old this month. BBC reports. [via 21talks]

"To mark the occasion, Russian television interviewed an official translator and a Kremlin aide who witnessed its use.

The hotline, called the "red telephone" in Russian, was set up in 1963 after the Cuban missile crisis had brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. During the crisis, US President John F Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev were obliged to negotiate through intermediaries.

The line was used for the first time in 1967, during the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbours."

CNN special on the Cold War

emily | 8:54 AM | News, Buzz |
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