About the Author

Sherry Sontag is a former staff writer for the National Law Journal and has written for the New York Times.Christopher Drew is a special projects editor at the New York Times and has won numerous awards for his investigative reporting.Annette Lawrence Drew, the book's researcher, has a Ph.D. from Princeton.

Reviews

"A tale that has the Navy refusing to comment and retired submariners rejoicing that their story is finally being told. . . . Espionage missions described in this book are among the most sensitive and secret intelligence operations of the cold war. Most have never been described in detail, if at all, and the Navy to this day refuses to acknowledge them publicly."--Associated Press

"An immensely readable look at some of the blackest secrets of the cold war, as U.S. and Soviet subs engage in subterfuge as intriguing as a thriller novel."--Providence Journal-Bulletin

"As exciting as early Tom Clancy novels . . . engrossing. . . . Highly recommended for everyone with an interest in submarines or intelligence."--Sea Power

"Excellent history . . . that reads like a Tom Clancy novel."--Booklist

"Exciting."--Denver Post

"Gripping."--Publishers Weekly

"Hard-core investigative reporting at its crispest. . . . The stories are exciting, the personalities border on the eccentric, and the constant turf battles among various U.S. government agencies in those often top-secret submarine activities make for intriguing reading."--Library Journal

"Impressive . . . The authors managed to capture the flavor of submarine life, the innovation and ingenuity of men who have to fix complex equipment when there is no supply line, the command structure that seems casual to an outsider but which works better in an undersea environment than the more rigid arrangements on surface or shore commands."--NewLondon Day (CT)

"It's almost impossible to make up stuff this good."--John Weisman, author of the Rogue Warrior Series

"Packed with real life adventures that Tom Clancy could only have guessed at. . . . More than a collection of sea stories. It reveals how submarine operations during the cold war had a profound impact on strategic decisions made in the Kremlin and Washington. . . . With Naval agents on their heels . . . Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew have made a successful end run around stacks of secrecy oaths and the locked lips of the Silent Service to make public some of the most astounding military operations of the cold war. . . . Lock the doors and draw the shades, because this book is a well written, highly readable account of man and machine working together to do the impossible for the highest of stakes."--Washington Monthly

"Strong stuff! . . . Highly recommended. . . . A compelling testimony to the courage and ingenuity of the submariners and the intelligence wizards and operators who made use of this weapon during the cold war and up to this day."--Roy Jonkers, AFIO ExecutiveDirector, Weekly Intelligence Notes

"The authors write of top-secret operations to tap underwater Soviet cables, recover a live H-bomb mistakenly lost on the ocean floor, and steal a Russian sub. Better yet, all of it is true- and revealed on these pages for the first time."--Investor's Business Daily

"The book is filled with specifics . . . but thankfully not presented in the dry techno-speak of many military histories. This one is very human and easy to read."--Washington Post

"The most comprehensive look at the work of these intrepid sailors . . . A celebration of their ingenuity and valor."--Baltimore Sun

"The veterans of the 'Silent Service' are silent no more."--John Lehman, former secretary of the Navy, WallStreet Journal

"Vividly told, impressively documented, and persuasively argued."--New York Times