Yeah pretty much the only thing that stopped them from going Full Retard was a junior officer in their missile launch detection program. He surmised that their satellite was picking up false indicators of missile launches and overrode the computer multiple times. The Soviets later rewarded him in their usual way.
Actually the Leftists like pointing to this story as somehow being proof that the reckless cowboy Reagan nearly provoked the cool headed and rational USSR into defending itself. Everything is always America's fault and there's never been a group of bad guys they didn't become infatuated with.
