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Bill Nichols · 09-18-05, 10:01 AM

Another review:

Books to Avoid: Red Star Rogue
This book purports to be non-fiction, but I have my doubts. It recounts the story of the Golf submarine that was raised by Glomar Explorer; according to the authors, this submarine was destroyed as it attempted to launch a nuclear missile at Hawaii.

I'll spoil the suspense. The authors believe, or at least say they believe, that plotters in the Kremlin put a KGB special-action team aboard the submarine; these people attempted to launch the missile; they failed to disable all the packages that would prevent unauthorized launch, and the missile self-destructed and took the sub with it.

The goal of this action was to provoke a nuclear exchange between the US and China.

Once we get past that part, a good section of the end of the book talks about the mission to raise the sub from the ocean floor.

To say the least, the arguments were unpersuasive. The book seems to be based on rumors and allegations and "we know it's true!" from people in the former Soviet Union. The authors pick and choose their rumors. They dismiss the rumors that the Golf was sunk by US forces; they choose the rumors that support the notion of a launch attempt. Gaping logical flaws are papered over; for example, the KGB controlled the warheads of nuclear weapons, but for some reason were unable to explain to their special forces team how to launch the missiles without blowing themselves up. They also fail to present any plausible actions by the KGB plotters that would definitively pin the blame on the launch on China instead of the USSR. Other logical problems abound. When data are lacking the authors don't hesitate to conjecture, and their conjecture is that the launch was authorized at the very top of the KGB chain of command.

The end of the book would be funny if it weren't so irritating. The authors wrap all of cold war history from 1968 onwards around this purported launch attempt; their prose is full of "therefore the answer must be..." that support their thesis when even thin documentation isn't available; any number of more logical conclusions are possible and what's lacking is not proof, but common sense.

Red Star Rogue, by Sewell and Richmond. Give it a miss.

09-18-05, 10:01 AM	#13
Bill Nichols Master of Defense Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,502 Downloads: 125 Uploads: 0	Another review: Books to Avoid: Red Star Rogue This book purports to be non-fiction, but I have my doubts. It recounts the story of the Golf submarine that was raised by Glomar Explorer; according to the authors, this submarine was destroyed as it attempted to launch a nuclear missile at Hawaii. I'll spoil the suspense. The authors believe, or at least say they believe, that plotters in the Kremlin put a KGB special-action team aboard the submarine; these people attempted to launch the missile; they failed to disable all the packages that would prevent unauthorized launch, and the missile self-destructed and took the sub with it. The goal of this action was to provoke a nuclear exchange between the US and China. Once we get past that part, a good section of the end of the book talks about the mission to raise the sub from the ocean floor. To say the least, the arguments were unpersuasive. The book seems to be based on rumors and allegations and "we know it's true!" from people in the former Soviet Union. The authors pick and choose their rumors. They dismiss the rumors that the Golf was sunk by US forces; they choose the rumors that support the notion of a launch attempt. Gaping logical flaws are papered over; for example, the KGB controlled the warheads of nuclear weapons, but for some reason were unable to explain to their special forces team how to launch the missiles without blowing themselves up. They also fail to present any plausible actions by the KGB plotters that would definitively pin the blame on the launch on China instead of the USSR. Other logical problems abound. When data are lacking the authors don't hesitate to conjecture, and their conjecture is that the launch was authorized at the very top of the KGB chain of command. The end of the book would be funny if it weren't so irritating. The authors wrap all of cold war history from 1968 onwards around this purported launch attempt; their prose is full of "therefore the answer must be..." that support their thesis when even thin documentation isn't available; any number of more logical conclusions are possible and what's lacking is not proof, but common sense. Red Star Rogue, by Sewell and Richmond. Give it a miss. __________________ My Dangerous Waters website: