Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

Highly recommended

Provides a very good history of the evolving submarine war and espionage after WWII. History buffs will like it. Gives an insight on what goes on that the public is not aware of. Puts on display those unsung heroes of this country.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I spy a submarine story unlike no other....

Unlike the movies which center on submarine tales from either the US, Soviet or German perspective the book really delves into the history and politics of the events that have occurred over the years underwater and above. It is interesting how the spy missions were more and more ramped up during the cold war and the book details this in many respects. A page turner I would not call this book but a very good read if you're into the stories of submarine events between the US and the Soviets from an American perspective. In addition the author does an excellent job in describing the evolution of the subs and the men commanding them as well as those who shaped the policies that ensured the submarine's place in history.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

I finished reading Blind Man's Bluff this week. A departure from my traditional fiction based novels, this book details submarine based spying and counter-spying during the Cold War. Throughout the book I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't an outlandish functional accounting of American and Soviet naval activity, but in fact entirely fact based. So many of the missions detailed seemed larger than life and too far fetched to be reality. But, just the same they were real.

This is where the book shines. Each chapter is the result of a mountain of research conducted by the three authors. Declassified Navy reports, political documents, new coverage, and person to person interviews were all used to flush out the facts needed to properly document the history of submarine warfare throughout the Cold War.

It was shocking to read what the Navy allowed to be reported in the book. It only makes me wonder what else happened out there that no one will ever read about. Chapters cover the entire history of submarine spying staring in 1949 as an early CIA operative joins the crew of the Cochino as it heads for Soviet waters carrying a new antenna design to pull intelligence secrets out of the air.

Other chapters cover the race for dominance of the worlds oceans as the arms race pits Russia and the United States in a competition to build quieter, faster, and more heavily armed submersible weapon platforms. None of this happens without the loss of life and the authors do an admirable job of educating the reader about the human element every step of the way. Undersea collisions, battery problems, fires, missing ships- you name it, its in there.

Simply put, you have to read this in order to believe it. Amazing stuff. If America had been aware of the recklessness of many of the Cold War undersea missions, tensions of the time would have been even more intense.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A really good and surprising look at what our navy can do. I rea

A really good and surprising look at what our navy can do. I really enjoyed this book, even if it came off a little like propaganda at times.

If you like intensity and pressure....

....then read this book! Awesome! Totally awesome. To hear what the pioneers of the submissible ship era had to go through, almost unbelieveable. Just the thought of being underwater, not seeing daylight, for days on end, is incomprehensible for most people. But to relive true accounts of chases, espionage, and tapping, it is what movies are made of. I know people in the Armed Forces, and they won't even comment on this book (makes you wonder???). If you thought 'Hunt for Red October' and 'Crimson Tide' were good, go buy this book. You will not be disappointed. I couldn't put it down!

exelent

It was a compelling story written to tell the stories of the men that risked their lives day in and out without any recognition for themselves or their missions. It is good someone finally told the stories of their heroism, and it is also written very well and interesting, I just kept reading until it was done.

A Silent Winner!

My wife bought me Blind Man's Bluff in a drug store -- I wasn't sure what it was about, but when I started reading it -- Wow! I couldn't stop. This was a compelling, deep and sometimes scary insight into the lives of men in Subs. since my father-inlaw was a prisoner of war during WWII and survived, this truly inspired me to pass the book on and attempt to find other similar novels. Thanks you Ms. Sontag!

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