Operation Ivy Bells

98 点作者 montrose大约 7 年前

10 条评论

sizzzzlerz大约 7 年前

Years ago, I wrote software for what was to be the next generation of Ivy Bells. I was responsible for the real-time operating system and the time/scheduling software. The previous systems had all been coded in 68000 assembler. We were using what was a relatively new language at the time called C. After my tasks were completed, I moved on to a new job and lost contact with the program. It was some years later that I heard about the disclosure but I've always wondered what happened to the system we were building. I imagine it's in that big warehouse where the ark of the covenant is kept.

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matthewmcg大约 7 年前

Some of these missions are described (in a very suspenseful way) in the book Blind Man's Bluff. What was interesting to me is that the DSRV[1] program provided both a cover story, equipment, and funds that could be secretly appropriated for these missions. According to the author, the DSRV was created by the Navy to salvage (heh) its reputation after the loss of the USS Thresher.[2][1]: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-submergence_rescue_vehicle" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-submergence_rescue_vehicl...</a>[2]: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Thresher_(SSN-593)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Thresher_(SSN-593)</a>

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Malic大约 7 年前

A tip of the hat is necessary to John Piña Craven (deceased), the Chief Scientist of the US Navy Special Project Office at the time.He made mention of his days on the Mississippi River and the occasional "Underwater cable - Do not drag anchor" signs that dot the riverside. When asked, "What? You mean we should look for signs that say 'Underwater cable - Do not drag anchor' written in Russian?"His answer was pretty much "Yes, that's exactly what we should do."Craven was a colorful character and worth anyone's time to look up more on his contributions. I'll second the recommendation to the book "Blind Man's Bluff."

rdtsc大约 7 年前

> He [Pelton] reportedly received $35,000 from the KGB for the intelligence he provided from 1980 to 1983, and for the intelligence on the Operation Ivy Bells, the KGB gave him $5,000.Spend $40k to blow a multi million (billion?) dollar operation. That's a pretty good return on investment for the KGB.> It remains unclear why it took the Soviets so long, although a plausible explanation is that it was used to feed disinformation to U.S. defense intelligence.[original research?]Reading one of the memoirs of Victor Cherkashin, an ex-KGB officer they were certainly fond of running double agents and feeding disinformation in the process. Well I guess that's a standard spy tactic I suppose. Another reason was probably to not betray Pelton.Also Cherkashin was working in the Russian Embassy in DC at the time and he recalls the story in his book. After Pelton walked in and was debriefed, they suspected he was probably followed. So they dressed him as a delivery/service person, shoved him into a van and drove away. Apparently it worked because FBI was unable to follow and discover him. He was found later, when he was betrayed by a defector.

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tlb大约 7 年前

60 years earlier, at the outbreak of WWI, Britain cut all of Germany's undersea cables [0], except one that went through Britain. So the Germans had to use radio or route through Britain, which could be intercepted and decrypted [1, 2]. Less subtle than tapping, but effective.[0] <a href="http://blogs.mhs.ox.ac.uk/innovatingincombat/files/2013/03/Innovating-in-Combat-educational-resources-telegraph-cable-draft-1.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://blogs.mhs.ox.ac.uk/innovatingincombat/files/2013/03/I...</a>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_40" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_40</a>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable#British_dominance_of_early_cable" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable...</a>

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mrsteveman1大约 7 年前

> Eventually, more taps were installed on Soviet lines in other parts of the world, with more advanced instruments built by AT&T's Bell Laboratories that were nuclear-powered and could store a year's worth of data.I assume they're referring to an RTG[1], where heat is generated by natural decay.Earlier the article specifically mentions the storage medium being tape, and that they were replaced on a monthly basis. Perhaps the larger capacity versions were also tape? Was that the only realistic option at the time in such a situation, deep underwater with a requirement for large storage capacity?[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge...</a>

parvenu74大约 7 年前

And the legacy of those days continues with the USS Jimmy Carter... very interesting things that boat's "multi-mission platform" can achieve. :-)<a href="https://warisboring.com/secretive-u-s-navy-submarine-went-on-a-dangerous-mission/" rel="nofollow">https://warisboring.com/secretive-u-s-navy-submarine-went-on...</a>

V-2大约 7 年前

Apparently Ronald Pelton (the man who spilled the beans to the Soviets) "was tried and convicted of espionage in 1986 and sentenced to three concurrent life sentences[3] and a $100 fine".My question is, who fines you a hundred bucks after sentencing you for life 3 times over (plus 10 years on the top of that, as was the case) :)

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NamTaf大约 7 年前

"The Seawolf was almost lost during one of these missions—it was stranded on the bottom after a storm and almost had to use its self-destruct charges to scuttle the ship with her crew."Does this imply that they made the whole crew commit suicide via the charges?