William M. Leary

In May 1962 the Office of Naval Research and the CIA launched one of the most exotic spy missions of the Cold War: the parachuting of two intelligence officers onto a hastily abandoned Soviet drift station on a deteriorating Arctic ice pack to collect data and then retrieve the pair using an experimental recovery technique, later used by James Bond in the movie Thunderball. This book offers a first-time description of the top secret mission by one of the parachutists and a leading CIA historian. Together they combine page-turning adventure with a detailed inside look at the U. S.-Soviet race to conquer the Arctic at the height of the Cold War. Combating bureaucratic resistance, dwindling funds, untested equipment, and savage physical conditions, the small American team of researchers and intelligence specialists raced against time to take advantage of a rare opportunity to assess the Soviets' progress in meteorology, oceanography, and especially submarine detection--before the station was smashed to bits by the grinding, drifting ice. Key to success was a fledgling recovery technology known as the Fulton Skyhook, designed to snatch the men from the ice on a 500-foot, balloon-lifted line snagged by a specially outfitted B-17 bomber traveling at 125 knots and then reel them up into the plane in howling sub-zero winds. Based on station logs, after-action reports, and interviews with many of the participants, this one-of-a-kind account provides fascinating background on the personnel, special equipment, mysterious CIA aircraft, and Soviet and U. S. drift stations. The authors also place the mission in the perspective of the Cold War race to develop under-ice submarine operations and acoustic submarine detection capabilities.

William M. Leary Jr.’s study combines history with personal drama to reconstruct an important chapter in the early years of aviation. He has conducted intensive research in American governmental archives, the Hoover Institution, and numerous libraries throughout the United States, in addition to obtaining access to the records of Pan American Airways (who bought out CNAC in 1933). His history of CNAC offers insights into the history of modern China and sheds light on several key aspects of Sino-American diplomatic and business relations.

Chronicles the role of the Combat Cargo Command during the Korean War under the command of Major General William H. Tunner. The lessons of the Korean War reinforced what Tunner had learned during World War II and the Berlin airlift.

In Under Ice, William M. Leary examines the evolution of Arctic submarine operations in the U. S. Navy, a little-known but significant area of national security concern. Through the career of Waldo Lyon, he chronicles the problems of under-ice navigation and the development of Cold War naval strategy. Leary provides informative treatments of the early problems with under-ice navigation; the Boarfish experimental dives; the Skate's surfacing through ice cover at the North Pole; and the drama-packed patrol of Seadragon, the first submarine to pass under an iceberg and make a submerged voyage through the fabled Northwest Passage. He ably delineates the roles of such other actors in the drama as Robert McWethy, executive officer of the Burton Island and long-time supporter of Lyon's work; the "fabulous patrol" of Sargo; CDR Joseph Skoog, who played poker while his crew transited the dangerous Arctic waters at high speed. Under Ice tells a lively and carefully researched story that will be important for naval and Cold War historians and for students of science and technology, especially those interested in post-1945 DOD-funded science.

This volume pulls together a core collection of documents pertaining to the CIA. Leary's introduction provides an overview and chronology of the US intelligence operations from the American Revolution through to World War II, and places the documents in proper perspective.