Abstract.Complex projective threefolds having the same integral homology groups as P 3 are classified.'This classification is used to improve a result of Fujita on manifolds whose integral cohomology ring is the same as that of pk and applies to the problem of classifying polarized manifolds (X, A), A being a nonsingular hypersurface such that H,. (A, Z) -H,. (X, 7/) for i ~< 2 dim A.The main result of this paper is the following (Thm. 2.1): the only compact K/ihler threefold having the same integral cohomology ring as P 3 is P 3 itself. This extends results of FUJITA ([3], [4] App. 2) and uses different arguments. Actually our proof relies on a partial classification of projective threefolds having the same integral homology groups as p3 (Thm. 1.5). We obtain this classification combining Yau's inequality for manifolds with ample canonical bundle with Iskowskih's classification of Fano threefolds. However, due to a gap in Iskowskih's proof, the "pathological Fano threefolds" still constitute an undecided case (case v) in Thm. 1.5. Theorem 1.5 also applies to the study of the pairs (X, A), where A is a smooth surface contained as an ample divisor in a projective threefold X and satisfying Hq (A, Z) '~ Hq ()if, 7/) for q ~< 4 (Cor. 2.3).We are indebted to the referee for calling our attention to [7].