The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History

by Josh Dean

The enormous steel fingers were too big to hide inside truck trailers and had to be strapped onto flatbeds that exceeded the typical size allowed on American interstates. The rigs would be officially oversize, requiring special clearance to pass through certain more persnickety states. The Agency hired one of its more clever trucking contractors, Leonard Brothers, from Miami. Leonard did various special transport jobs for the government and was known for having excellent relationships with the highway inspectors of most US states. Leonard Brothers agents kept detailed records of which inspectors were most difficult, and which were more lenient, and what shifts everyone worked. Schedules were then optimized to run the loads across problematic states when the friendliest inspectors were on duty. If necessary, they’d slip a case of Jack Daniel’s off the truck when passing through as a thank-you.