Most everyone knows about the Cuban missile crisis, but many are unaware of a similar incident which took place during the Reagan years.  In 1983,  Taylor Downing documents how a US military exercise in Europe, one that included the deployment of tactical nukes, nearly took us to the brink.   Soviet leadership, already on edge from Reagan’s confrontational posturing, feared the US was preparing for a preemptive strike and put their forces on full alert.  “This book (which reads like a thriller) is a clear and compelling reminder of how much words and actions matter in international relations” (Christian Science Monitor).