THE AZORIAN JOB: HOW HOWARD HUGHES HELPED THE CIA SNATCH A SOVIET NUCLEAR SUB FROM THE SEA FLOOR
In the Cold War, the US pursued any chance to defeat the Soviets, even devising the most audacious covert operation in history
GETTY X1, NIKOLAI CHERKASHIN X1
One morning in November 1969, Curtis Crooke was in a meeting when three unexpected visitors came into the room and said they needed to talk to him. The 41-year-old Crooke was in charge of all engineering for Global Marine, a deep-ocean drilling company known for innovative shipbuilding, and it was that expertise that the three men, all in dark suits, wanted.