Cold War Plans That Never Happened: 1945-91

From a NATO nuclear attack on the Soviet Union to a Warsaw Pact land assault on Western Europe; from building an electric fence between North and South Vietnam to building a US base on the moon; it may all sound unlikely, but during the Cold War these operations and others were seriously considered by both sides. Cold War Plans That Never Happened tells the stories of some of the most secret and outrageous operations that were conceived, many of which would have changed the course of history; from the US plan to oust Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz and Chiang Kai Shek's plans to re-invade China from Taiwan, to experiments in psychokinesis. On an entry-by-entry basis, this book explains the context of each planned operation and explores whether it might have been successful, and what the impact might have been if it had gone ahead.

Arranged by continents, the book includes easy-to-read fact boxes, informing the reader of the date, intended purpose and forces involved. In addition there are rare photographs and illustrations to demonstrate that these were real operations seriously considered by the planning staffs. Authoritatively written and with more than 250 colour and black-and-white photographs, maps and illustrations, Cold War Plans That Never Happened will prove fascinating to anyone interested in twentieth century history.