Blind man's bluff
by Sherry Sontag · first published 1998
65% recommend33% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Suspenseful, fact-rich account of Cold War American submarine espionage, including Operation Ivy Bells cable tapping and the birth of nuclear subs; suits general readers who enjoy fun nonfiction about spycraft.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013–2026Body of Secrets
James Bamford
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 134 recommend · 13 mention4 recommend · 134 recommend
2009–2026The Neverending Story
Michael Ende
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 2210 recommend · 22 mention10 recommend · 2210 recommend
2010–2026Sled driver
Brian Shul
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 2814 recommend · 28 mention14 recommend · 2814 recommend
2013–2025Red Storm Rising
Tom Clancy, T CLANCY
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 3719 recommend · 37 mention19 recommend · 3719 recommend
2009–2026Skunk Works
Ben R. Rich, Leo Janos, Ben R./Janos, Leo Rich
Recommended by 104 · mentioned by 166104 recommend · 166 mention104 recommend · 166104 recommend
2010–2026The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy
Recommended by 20 · mentioned by 7520 recommend · 75 mention20 recommend · 7520 recommend
2007–2026Cryptonomicon
Neal Stephenson
Recommended by 324 · mentioned by 628324 recommend · 628 mention324 recommend · 628324 recommend
Submarine cables have actually been tapped in the past, so cutting them should not be much of a challenge. Blind Man's Bluff [1] is a book about this kind of thing (and all sorts of weird things that involve intelligence operations performed with submarines). It is one of those books that would not work if it were fiction:…
on “ACE Submarine Cable Cut Impacts Ten Countries” ↗If you found this interesting, I can't recommend Blind Man's Bluff[0] enough. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/...
on “During Cold War, CIA Plucked Soviet Submarine from Ocean Floor Using Giant Claw” ↗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…
on “Operation Ivy Bells” ↗Blind Man's Bluff: https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/... I think it's on par with Skunk Works. Absolutely amazing stories about submarine espionage, stealth fighters but underwater.
on “Pilot explains how he Survived Blackbird Disintegration at Mach 3.2” ↗…(he has already been isolated) for blowing up the pipeline. And I note that you completely ignored the point that the US would do this with subs (and this was what they could do 30+ years ago). See: Blind Man's Bluff--https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/...
on “‘Dark ships’ emerge from the shadows of the Nord Stream mystery” ↗“Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage” - Sherry Sontag & Christopher Drew - Indirect, but the title is the summary. I recommend familiarizing yourself with Operation Ivy Bells. Ivy Bells…
on “U.S. and China wage war beneath the waves – over internet cables” ↗…submarine operations would assume this from the start. For an excellent account of the development of US submarine capabilities (including listening and detection), I wholeheartedly recommend the book "Blind Man's Bluff".[0] How that book hasn't been made into a mini-series is beyond me. The stories and characters are incredible. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/...
on “Top Secret U.S. Navy System Heard Titan Implosion Days Ago” ↗Since no one has referenced it yet, The book Blind Man's Bluff details many of these submarine espionage missions and discusses the birth of nuclear-powered subs. Definitely recommend it! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/006097771X?pc_redir=1406267244...
on “Messages in the Deep – The Story of the Underwater Internet” ↗"Blind Man's Bluff" https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/...
on “Soviet Russia Bugged an American Embassy’s Typewriters” ↗I can highly recommend a book Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage, which has more information on this specific incident as well as other spy submarine stories from the Cold War
on “How the CIA Found a Soviet Sub Without the Soviets Knowing (2017)” ↗'Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story Of American Submarine Espionage', Sherry Sontag covers this story and a number of others of similar ilk.
on “Mining robot stranded on Pacific Ocean floor in deep-sea mining trial” ↗> Commercial interests have been waiting for the day when they could start mining the seafloors globally for these nodules. For all the folks thinking about Project Azorian[0], I recently read "Blind Man's Bluff"[1] and recommend it for the larger context of oceanic subsurface reconnaissance. 0. https://www.cia.gov/legacy/museum/exhibit/project-azorian/ 1. https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/...
on “'Dark oxygen': a deep-sea discovery that has split scientists” ↗…Hopefully _that_ has gotten better and will never be repeated, but this stuff is just not unprecedented in our history and not something an informed observer would rationally disbelieve. Popular books like "Blind Man's Bluff" document the storied history of the U.S. and adversaries' going to extraordinary lengths to snoop on each other's undersea communications for 70 years. Boeing and Airbus have been publicly accusing each…
on “'Sending a message': what the US and UK are attempting to do” ↗…not true. The majority of the missiles launched against Libya this month came from US subs (SSGN). And there are a lot of capabilities that are secret or borderline secret. Check out "Dark Waters" and "Blind Man's Bluff". Also http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/dds.htm
on “Richard Branson Announces Virgin Oceanic Submarine ” ↗If this sort of stuff interets you, I highly recommend the book "Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage". [0] It tells the story of Cold War espionage from the submarine warfare point of view. The book also covers "Operation Ivy Bells" which was a joint…
on “America uses stealthy submarines to hack other countries’ systems” ↗