Colby participated in the National Security Council meetings that responded to apparent Soviet intentions to intervene in the war by raising the alert level of U.S. forces to DEFCON 3 and defusing the crisis.
Colby je participirao u Vijeću nacionalne sigurnosti (National Security Council) koje je pokušalo odgovoriti trenutnim sovjetskim namjerama da interveniraju u Ratu uzvisujući stupanj spremnosti američkih snaga na DEFON 3 i deaktivirajući krizu.