The Jennifer Project

by Clyde W. Burleson

In 1968 a Soviet G-class submarine mysteriously exploded and sank to the bottom of the Pacific. With Cold War secrecy and speed, U.S. military intelligence raced to find a way to raise the sub. In the new preface to this edition of The Jennifer Project , which was first published in 1977, author Clyde Burleson discusses some of the sources he could not reveal twenty years ago and provides an interesting swords-to-plowshares update.

In one of the more remarkable episodes of high-tech espionage and engineering of the Cold War, the effort to raise the Soviet sub, code-named the "Jennifer Project," assembled a cast of players that included top military brass, the CIA, and the eccentric millionaire and inventor Howard Hughes.

The Project was a monumental effort to create a tool that could reach three miles below the ocean's surface and pull the sub from primordial muck—in secret. Financed and built by Hughes and Global Marine under contract with the CIA, the ship created to pluck the sub from the ooze was a technological marvel. Two football fields in length and twenty-three stories high, the Hughes Glomar Explorer held in its hull a six- million -pound submersible "claw" for picking up sections of the submarine.

The project cost the U.S. government hundreds of millions of dollars, but the intelligence community was betting that, if successful, reclamation of the Soviet submarine would mean accessing invaluable military knowledge as the two superpowers neared negotiations in the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty talks. The Jennifer Project revisits a fascinating period of high-level intrigue and invention that has remained unknown to many Americans.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Signy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real life story of one of the Cold Wars greatest covert operations, the CIA’s attempt to secretly raise a sunken Soviet submarine from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. This very well researched account is a captivating read, exploring all aspects of the story from the sub’s loss in 1968, to the American recovery attempt under the guise of recluse Howard Hughes’ corporation. Simply riveting!

[jj Grilliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I plan to read more about this project.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. As an engineer, I picked up some technical inaccuracies but not a big deal

[Fracro · Rating 3 out of 5]

True story of when, in 1968, a Soviet sub sinks to he bottom of the Pacific Ocean and the U S government scrambles to try and recover the sub for investigation. The U S wanted to know the Soviet sub capabilities in the middle of the SALT talks. True story that is post Run Silent Run Deep, pre Hunt for Red October,

[Steve Sarrica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction that reads like sic-fi. I read this over 20 years ago and was completely blown away. I've recently seen a documentary that greatly expands on the facts provided in this book and am looking forward to reading the newest book on the subject. One of the most interesting stories to emerge from the Cold War.