Incidentally, I read that "perimeter" - the Soviet automatic MAD system - was actually not meant against the Americans, but against the "hawks" in the Soviet go

Incidentally, I read that "perimeter" - the Soviet automatic MAD system - was actually not meant against the Americans, but against the "hawks" in the Soviet government. Which is why it wasn't publicized. It assured them that the USSR had a way to retaliate in any case - so there was no need to launch nukes right away at the slightest suspicion, but waiting if there actually was an impact somewhere was possible without losing the ability to retaliate. With the "hawks" assured the calmer people now had more time to think, talk, and check data in an emergency and faced less pressure to act immediately. And to the MAD scenario, I too came to the conclusion that the only sane thing to do if I was someone in the chain of command to launch nukes was a) Always make your unwavering commitment to launch clear - to everyone, including at home. b) When it happens, refuse to launch, contradictory to anything people know about you. You can't tell b) to anyone though, because there is a chance the enemy may find out. It's important to only reveal that you won't ever launch nukes when it actually happens, not before.