Product Description

The cold war was the first major conflict between superpowers in which victory and defeat were unambiguously determined without the firing of a shot. Without the shield of a strong, silent deterrent or the intellectual sword of espionage beneath the sea, that war could not have been won. John Pina Craven was a key figure in the cold war beneath the sea. As chief scientist of the US Navy's Special Projects Office, which supervized the Polaris missile system, then later as head of the Deep Submergence Systems Project (DSSP) and the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle programme (DSRV), both of which engaged in a variety of clandestine undersea projects, he was intimately involved with planning and executing America's submarine-based nuclear deterrence and submarine-based espionage activities during the height of the cold war. Craven was considered so important by the Soviets that they assigned a full-time KGB agent to spy on him. Craven takes the reader inside the highly secret DSSP and DSRV programmes, both of which offered crucial cover for sophisticated intelligence operations. He weaves a tale of intrigue, both within the US government and between the US and Soviet navies, providing an insider's account of how the submarine service kept the peace during the dangerous days of the cold war.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185126 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

Insight from a key player
Craven is one of the unsung heroes in marine science and technology - he played a key role throughout the 1960's in particular, the height of the Cold War, helping to develop undersea technology. If you've ever read 'Blind Man's Bluff' you need to read this book to get the story of undersea espionage from Craven's point of view.
As a loyal servant of his country, Craven is careful to avoid giving away secrets, but allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. There are stories he neither confirms or denies, but he drops lots of hints.
Craven was involved in the Polaris missile project, the hunt for the lost H-bombs off Spain after the Palomares incident , and the search for the USS Scorpion off the Azores in mysterious circumstances. In retirement he continued to work on developing ocean technology, including systems for power generation and irrigation of crops using distilled seawater. A fascinating read from a brilliant man. Why not 5 stars? Only because he leaves the reader with fascinating clues but he cannot give the whole story away. I hope he leaves a memoir for after he's passed away - there are many untold stories in Craven's head...