We describe functorially the first Galois cohomology set $H^1({ \mathbb R},G)$ of a connected reductive algebraic group $G$ over the field $\mathbb R$ of real numbers in terms of a certain action of the Weyl group on the real points of order dividing 2 of the maximal torus containing a maximal compact torus. This result was announced with a sketch of proof in the author's 1988 note. Here we give a detailed proof.
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