US admits salvaging sunken Soviet submarine

[Modbert]

US admits salvaging sunken Soviet submarine - Telegraph

The admission ends more than 30 years of silence over one of the most elaborate and expensive projects of the Cold War.

The CIA has always refused to confirm even the barest details of Project Azorian, a daring 1974 exercise that was backed by the industrialist Howard Hughes and estimated to have cost £1 billion in today's money.

However, following an application to declassify the information under the US Freedom of Information Act, the CIA has released an internal account of the mission, albeit with some of the biggest mysteries still unanswered.

In the 50-page article published in 1985 in the agency's in-house journal, the CIA details how President Nixon went against the advice of his senior military chiefs in the hope of gaining crucial intelligence from the nuclear missiles being carried by the sub.

The Soviet Golf-II sub, the K-129, sank in 1968 in the Pacific, northwest of Hawaii, in circumstances that have never been explained.

It was carrying three ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads. According to the newly-released papers, despite the difficulties of reaching the vessel some three miles down, Richard Nixon ordered the creation of a task force to bring it to the surface.

The project was nearly cancelled due to soaring costs and concern that it might damage improving US-Soviet relations.

Fearing the Russians might even try to storm the ship, the Americans blocked up its helicopter landing pad with crates.

The Americans buried six lost Soviet mariners at sea, after retrieving their bodies in the wreckage.

Very interesting to say the least.

Thoughts USMB?

 

[Xenophon]

In the years to come a lot of cool info will be introduced.

 

[Modbert]

In the years to come a lot of cool info will be introduced.

Sure will. Lots of the CIA's little activities will be coming to light.

 

[Xenophon]

You will find that 'the CIA' actually did little or nothing.

But you will discover that the US military was highly effective in the war of deception and secrets against the Soviets, far better then people think.

For example, we knew exactly what orders the Russian subs got at their secure base at petropavlosk in the Pacific for years, despite the fact they didn't use radio trafic of any kind.

How?

They used telephone cables under the sea of oktosk, and one of our subs tapped the line in the early 60s and the Russians never found out.

 

[MIPS]

They used telephone cables under the sea of oktosk, and one of our subs tapped the line in the early 60s and the Russians never found out.

Yeah we Americans are a bunch of sneaky, underhanded bastards when we put our minds to it.

 

[Toronado3800]

They used telephone cables under the sea of oktosk, and one of our subs tapped the line in the early 60s and the Russians never found out.

Yeah we Americans are a bunch of sneaky, underhanded bastards when we put our minds to it.

Just remember that when we're trying to figure out why the rest of the world seems moderately annoyed with us.

Not saying we weren't the good guys in the cold war and all. We must have done something to annoy the Israeli's at least once though.

 

[blu]

another government lie exposed only decades later when it doesn't matter anymore. I can't wait for the gwb docs to come out in 2040-2050.

 

[Ragnar]

As a matter of international law, is this in the catagory of "finders keepers"?