A recently declassified study on
Soviet intentions during the Cold War identifies significant failures
in U.S. intelligence analysis on Soviet military intentions and
demonstrates the constant exaggeration of the Soviet threat.
The study, which was released last week by George Washington
University’s National Security Archive, was prepared by a Pentagon
contractor in 1995 that had access to former senior Soviet defense
officials, military officers, and industrial specialists. It
demonstrates the consistent U.S. exaggeration of Soviet
“aggressiveness” and the failure to recognize Soviet fears of a U.S.
first strike. The study begs serious questions about current U.S.
exaggeration of “threats” emanating from Iran, North Korea, and
Afghanistan.