Viktor Starodubov, a high ranking military officer, finished his career as the head of the Strategy Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU. As a specialist in nuclear armaments, he participated in the American-Russian dialog on the restriction and containment of this weapon, and international agreements on its control for almost 20 years. This book is about the history of the post-war Soviet-American military and strategic relationship, the history of launching and deterring the Cold War. Starodubov is an author of the fundamental work Soviet Military Power from Stalin to Gorbachev (1999).