I was in the 1973 alert, and you have no idea what you are talking about in that regard to the Cold War, you have no idea evidently that by 1979 some of us saw 1984/85 as the window that the Soviets had to make their move, thank God for Reagan, he did everything he could to erase that window of opportunity.
The tension in the early and mid 80s was intense, Reagan destroyed that window that had been so predictable in the late 1970s, and the Soviets knew it, it wasn’t long before they went a different route that ended in their destruction.
The MI people can attest to that 1984 fear, you don’t know how hot things were.
I have a pretty good handle on it. The mid 80s, were the glastnost period. Brezhnev died in 82 if I recall..You would have gone on alert for that event. Change of leadership is a big deal in Russia. The new guy is usually a unknown quantity and they don't take any chances. But the concerns expressed by your leadership was only precautionary.
But Gorby took his place. You know....the guy with a map on his head. The smiling joker.
The cold war was so cold it was hard to find. Maybe you should do a little reading.