NPR

How The CIA Found A Soviet Sub — Without The Soviets Knowing

It's a great tale of Cold War intrigue that includes eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, a CIA covert operation and a Soviet sub with nuclear missiles that sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
An artist's rendering of the Hughes Glomar Explorer (on the surface) and the submersible vehicle, with clawlike arms that were used to pick up part of the Soviet sub in 1974.

The CIA has a favorite phrase: "We can neither confirm nor deny."

It was born as part of a strange Cold War drama, involving Howard Hughes, that now has a new twist.

Back in March 1968, a Soviet submarine and its nuclear missiles suffered a catastrophic accident and sank to the dark, chilly floor of the Pacific. All 98 sailors died.

The Soviets sent out a huge search party, but after two months of looking, finally gave up. The ocean was just too big, and the sub was more than 3 miles below the surface.

But from the U.S. perspective, this was a potential intelligence

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