Rating: 
Summary: Superb
Review: Wow! A superbly-written and -researched book. Includes the Soviet perspective, and an interesting "Notes" section on sources too, with index -- and even comments on how accurate Red October was, and why Clancy was allowed to publish (paperback page 478).
Rating:
Summary: A really gripping pageturner of historical importance...
Review: This book snatched history from the jaws of oblivion. The authors deserve a lot of credit for their tenacity and dedication (read the Acknowledgements!). --- Among other things this book answers why the Russians, just last year, so strongly suspected that the August 2000 loss of the submarine Kursk with all 118 aboard involved collision with "another vessel': for decades, U.S. submarines had closely observed their opponent's naval activities, and there had been collisions before! --- This work is not only fascinating, but it is both detailed and well written. No one can finish this work without learning A LOT! It integrates events within the Naval espionage establishment with the international diplomatic, and the domestic political, contexts. It shows how internal politicking within the Dept. of Defense affected programs, and even safety issues. It even shows the large role that spies (notably the Walkers) played in the Cold War. ---- But this book is, above all, an enlightening page-turner. When, in the middle of the night, I woke up, my first thought was "I think I'll just get up and read a few more pages!" And I did! It's that kind of book.
Rating:
Summary: Eye Opener!
Review: Hollywood has done much to depict submarines and the men that served on them during WWI and WWII. Blind Man's Bluff will open the door to the Cold War and Post-Cold War submarine force of the United States today! A must read for anyone in submarine or Naval History!
Rating:
Summary: fascinating
Review: I think that the previous 222 reviews probably cover this well enough, so briefly: this is a great,well researched book which I couldn't put down. It does read like a spy novel but it's made better by being true. One of the other reviewers said that a general mentioned the book to him and said something to the effect of "sacrificing security for profit". You could look at it that way, you could also look at it and think that a well written book on what's been going on would make the public more sympathetic to military spending. I'd absolutely recommend this book. For most of us laypeople it reveals a hidden world.
Rating:
Summary: MOVE OVER TOM CLANCY
Review: Confronted with fading memories, secrecy oaths, security clearances and old loyalties, the authors have done an outstanding job writing a fascinating account that rivals the best cold war fiction. This is a true story of American submarine espionage during the cold war and as the authors note "In silence and stealth, but most importantly in secrecy, attack subs carried out as many as two thousand spy missions as they kept track of Soviet submarines". In chronological order, the book covers US submarine surveillance during the cold war beginning with the loss of the diesel submarine USS Cochino and ends with the post cold war secrecy problems still facing the families of lost submarine sailors on both sides. Narratives are given for several incidents such as the submarine USS Gudgeon being caught in Soviet waters and forced to the surface by the Soviets. A most intriguing chapter covers the 1968 loss of the US nuclear submarine Scorpion as it returned from a mission to the Mediterranean Sea. Using acoustic data, a submarine simulator and advanced mathematics, it took nearly five months for scientists to locate the Scorpion. Although the evidence points to an on board torpedo explosion, to this day the cause of the sub's lost is still in dispute. Blind man's bluff involved tracking Soviet subs, surveillance of missile launches and communications monitoring. Soviet subs were trailed by US submarines to determine the submarine's characteristics, patrol areas plus Soviet Naval operational philosophy and tactics. The book contains a fascinating account of the USS Lapon tracking a Soviet missile sub for 47 days. However, tracking was dangerous. There were several underwater collisions, with the text describing the one where the USS Tautog collided with the Soviet submarine Black Lila. The book states "Tautog flipped on her right side, rolling nearly 30 degrees as she was forced backward and down. Men went grabbing for a handhold on rails and tables. Coffee mugs, pencils, rulers, charts and erasers went flying through the control room." While both submarines were heavily damaged, neither sub sank, although each submarine's commander thought the other had sunk. In a post cold war interview, the Black Lila's commander stated "I thought for a second, 'I have sunk a brother submariner'....It was hard to have realized it." The book narrates the US attempt to raise a sunken Soviet submarine. After locating the sub, Naval Intelligence proposed to remove missiles and code materials using robots. The CIA disagreed, intervened, and took over. Ignoring international law, the CIA contracted with Howard Hughes to build a special ship to recover the entire submarine under the pretex of searching for manganese. The project failed with only a 38-foot piece recovered. The Naval Intelligence's approach was validated years later when Navy robots were successfully used to explore the Titanic. The book's high point is the narrative of wire taps on Soviet cables in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Soviet White Sea. Under great danger, taps were place on Soviet military cables by divers working outside a specially equipped surveillance submarine. At considerable risk, taps were periodically serviced to recover data tapes. Servicing a tap, the Seawolf once got mired for nearly two days on the bottom of the Okhotsk Sea. To avoid detection, the secret surveillance submarine Parche traveled 15,000 miles one way on a indirect route to place a tap on a White Sea cable and gain intelligence on Soviet Arctic operations. The Soviet's use of the Arctic ice was a critical strategic move and the authors note that "the Soviets shift to the Arctic was a brilliant move....where it would be hugely difficult for US forces to root out Soviet missile subs and destroy them." Throughout, the text describes the personalities involved discussing the differences arising between individuals, groups and agencies. The handling and briefing of the President, Congress and/or Congressional oversight committees is most interesting. A key player through much of the book is John Cavens of Naval Intelligence. Cavens and his scientists developed the techniques that successfully located the nuclear bomb dropped into the Mediterranean following an Air Force B-52 mid-air collision, located the sunken Soviet sub and pinpointed the location of the lost USS Scorpion. In summary, the text notes "While satellites replaced many of the spy planes and made intelligence-gathering safer....submarines continued to confront the Soviets directly" and concludes "There is no question that some skippers went too far in their quest for the big score. But then the Navy and the intelligence agencies weighed the gains against the possibility of a violent response, they relied on one simple fact: the Soviets were sending out their spies as well." The text ends stating that "Now, with the end of the cold war and a new phase in submarine espionage beginning, it's time to look back, time to assess what has so long been hidden." Whatever may be the readers views regarding the cold war, the book tells how so many US Navy submarine sailors when "in harms way" so that Americans could sleep safely at night. The book finishes with appendices and notes which alone are worth book's price. Appendix A describes nineteen confirmed or probable submarine collisions during the cold war while Appendix B gives the Soviet side of this story. Following the appendices, notes give the sources for each chapter. The principal player's remarks are often revealing. For example, Admiral Watkins, former Chief of Naval Operations, stated that he allowed the U.S.Naval Institute - a private, nonprofit organizations that works closely with the Navy - to publish Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October as part of the Navy's psychological warfare against the Soviets. Admiral Watkins said "about two-thirds of the technical information in Clancy's novel is on target and the rest is wrong, and that it typically overstates the US abilities...." The Admiral continues that the book "did us a service....The Soviets kind of believed it, and we won the battle...."
Rating: 
Summary: Answers many questions for a Cold Warrior's Kid
Review: My father in law lent his copy of this fine book to me. He is an avid consumer of navel history, being a retired Captain. My own father recently retired from a long career designing submarines for the Navy. His father worked at Electric Boat, before him, on the Nautilas and first Seawolf. This book really reveals the other side of what they were working on and how it shaped our world. The fall of the Berlin wall has more to do with the designers of those incredible craft and the daring crews who manned them than any late century diplomacy. Sontag and company expose the facts about these programs which my dad could only hint at. Growing up close to where these boats were built and based, I knew many commanders and crewmen. We only had a vague idea of weeks at sea doing "routine patrols". Now the pressure and responsibility they served under is apparent. I understand now why they alternated two full crews and returned so exhausted. In an age where "Top Gun" is more popular than "...Red October" we need to be aware of the contributions of all of our service men, especially those in the "Silent Service". If you are a spy novel fan, this is great background material. If you thought that the Cold War was a fabrication of paranoid politicians, this shows that someone took it very seriously. I think that we all can learn much from the dedication of everyone involved in our post-war submarine programs, and pray that those who protect us now are just as strong. Well researched, well written, and honestly told, a missing piece of modern American history.
Rating:
Summary: On The Ragged Edge of U.S. Intelligence Collection
Review: My copy of this book has been read by four of my co-workers in my office. If you're interested in how things got done to help keep us (the US) in the game against the Soviets during the Cold War this is a terrific book to read. On a par with The Puzzle Palace from a couple of decades back. While the cloak and dagger exploits of these very brave men are fascinating the high point for me was the brain storming research technique (Monte Carlo Analysis) used by some very smart folks to find the lost Soviet sub and also to find the lost nuclear bomb from the B-52 crash off of Spain during the 1960s. This book will hold your interest from the beginning to the end. Every one of my co-workers came back and said it was one of the best books they'd read in a long time. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Deep research into USN cold war programs
Review: A close friend of mine recommended this book to me after describing to me the situation that he came across it. One of his neighbors growing up was in the Navy and was typically unable to answer questions about his career. One day recently he walked over while my friend was visiting his parents. He stated "You wanted to know what I did for the Navy. Read this. It's all in there," and then he walked away. The book is chronological and covers many important events and programs of the USN's attack submarine force during the Cold War. The command structure and dealings with the Office of the President and US Congress are addressed effectively and interestingly. The authors pay Proper honor to submariners who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and their description of the survivors' fears puts a human face on the assignments, the triumphs, and the trajedies.
Rating:
Summary: Feel like inside the sub!
Review: From the beginning, you are introduced to the era of submarine espionage on USA. You get to know horrible spying missions that put the life of many submariners on danger (even if they did not know what their missions were), who USA officials planned and got the funds to build enormous and sometimes ridicuolus projects, and many accidents USA subs had while tracing Soviet subs that were getting quieter at a surprising rate.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant reading
Review: A must for all submarine buffs. It really is shocking reading to hear of such daring exploits by men, who willing undertake such missions knowing that the penalty for detection is swift death. My salute to the men of the US Submarine forces who staked their lives so that we may have a safe world to live in. The authors have really given us a beautifull insight into the world of these men, their missions, thier fears, their lives on board or on shore and all that goes on behind the scenes to keep those great wheels turning.
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