The present volume presents a collection of pieces of evidence, which-taken together-lead to an argument that goes against the grain of the established Cold War narrative. The argument is that a "e;long detente"e; existed between East and West from the 1950s to the 1980s, that it existed and lasted for good (economic, national security, societal) reasons, and that it had a profound impact on the eventual outcome of the conflict between East and West and the quintessentially peaceful framework in which this "e;endgame"e; was played.