History.com: Was There Really a "Red Telephone" Hotline During the Cold War?

During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union established a direct communications link to allow their leaders to contact one another in the event of a nuclear crisis or other emergency. This Washington-Moscow hotline has since featured in countless novels and films, but contrary to its depictions in pop culture, there was no red telephone. In fact, it never involved phone calls at all.