Two Men Were Deciding Nuclear War In 1973. Both Were Impaired.

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]In 1973, the world came closer to nuclear war than almost anyone knows.

[00:00:05]Two men were making the decisions. Both were impaired. What if one of them made the other choice?

[00:00:11]October 6th, 1973, Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

[00:00:19]While Israel fasted and prayed, Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack on two fronts simultaneously.

[00:00:27]Israeli defenses collapsed.

[00:00:29]In the first 72 hours, Israel's military leaders privately told the government the country might not survive.

[00:00:36]Israel put its nuclear weapons on standby.

[00:00:40]The United States began an emergency military airlift to Israel.

[00:00:44]The Soviet Union matched it, airlifting weapons to Egypt and Syria.

[00:00:49]Two nuclear superpowers fueling the same war from opposite sides.

[00:00:53]Then Israel turned the tide. Its forces crossed the Suez Canal, encircled Egypt's entire third army, and cut off their food, water, and medicine.

[00:01:03]20,000 Egyptian soldiers were trapped in the desert. Moscow could not allow it.

[00:01:09]At 10:00 p.m. on October 24th, a message arrived via the Moscow-Washington hotline, the direct nuclear crisis line installed after the Cuban missile crisis.

[00:01:19]Soviet Premier Brezhnev had written to Nixon directly. The letter said, "If you find it impossible to act jointly with us, we should be faced with the necessity of taking appropriate steps unilaterally."

[00:01:31]Diplomatic language for, "We are coming whether you join us or not."