182 the captain of the Mizar: Aircraft Salvops Med, Interim Report, pp. C12–C13.
182 it had carried a light line: Even this light polypropylene line, hand-tended from the surface, was a struggle for Alvin to carry down to the bottom. Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 73; Memo, W.O. Rainnie to Office of Naval Research, “Quarterly Informal Letter,” June 10, 1966, p. 9; Rainnie, “How We Found the Missing H-Bomb,” Popular Mechanics, August 1966, p. 78. According to Red Moody (e-mail to author, September 17, 2008) the sub crews had never attempted such a risky maneuver before and were understandably reluctant to try.
182 the task force members tried another tactic: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 75.
182 That evening, Admiral Guest wrote: Ibid.
182 Art Markel thought Aluminaut: Art Markel interview, September 25, 2006; Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 3,” recorded March 19, 1966 (SMV); Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 76.
183 Markel was excited: For example: Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 4,” recorded March 20, 1966; Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 5,” recorded March 22, 1966; Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 6,” recorded March 23, 1966, all at SMV.
183 to share some of Alvin’s limelight: Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 3,” recorded March 19, 1966 (SMV).
183 “It is quite apparent”: Letter, Art Markel to Carrie, March 28, 1966 (SMV).
183 Markel had half a mind: Letter, Art Markel to Carrie, April 6, 1966 (SMV).
183 On March 22, the Los Angeles Times: Robert C. Toth, “H-Bomb May Slip into Deep Sea Crevice, Balk Recovery,” Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1966, p. 1.
183 Duke, disturbed by such gloomy press: Cable, Embassy in Madrid to SECSTATE WASHDC, March 22, 1966, Deptel 1185 (LBJ).
183 The Air Force thought: SAC Historical Study #109, pp. 320, 334–335.
183 But Guest suspected the embassy: Author’s interviews with Brad Mooney, March 30, 2007, and Robert Kingsbery, July 19, 2007.
184 he seemed as mystified: Author’s interviews with Robin Duke, June 7, 2007, and Tim Towell, January 8, 2007. See also SAC Historical Study #109, p. 335.
184 Mizar had landed the anchor and POODL: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 78– 79; Aircraft Salvops Med, Interim Report, p. C13. See also Tad Szulc, “H-Bomb Searchers Fail Again as Sea Cable Snaps,” The New York Times, March 26, 1966, p. 9. March 23 was also the day that the diver Carl Brashear was injured in an accident aboard the USS Hoist, nearly severing his left lower leg. Brashear’s story was dramatized in the feature film Men of Honor.
184 Guest’s staff met aboard the Mizar: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 79–80; Jon Lindbergh interview, July 11, 2007.
184 Mizar would hover directly above: E-mail, Red Moody to author, December 19, 2007.
185 McCamis, still underwater in Alvin: Marvin McCamis interview, January 31, 2003.
185 Red Moody was having his own argument: Red Moody interview, November 7, 2006; e-mail, Red Moody to author, December 19, 2007.
185 The Mizar’s crew snagged the floating buoy: The description of the lift at tempt comes from Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 80–81, and author’s interviews with Jon Lindbergh, July 11, 2007, and Red Moody, November 7, 2006. There are some small (fifteen-minute) discrepancies in the timeline of events.
186 “Oh, boy”: Marvin McCamis interview, January 31, 2003.
186 Alvin needed a battery charge: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 81– 82.
186 “The slope looked”: McCamis, “‘Captain Hook’s’ Hunt,” p. 27.
186 The pilots found: Ibid.
186 The broken line seemed: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 81.
186 The Soviet newspaper Izvestia: “Soviet Asks World Check on U.S. H-Bomb off Spain,” The New York Times, March 19, 1966, p. 7.
186 U.N. Secretary General: Lewis, One of Our H-Bombs, p. 222.
187 There was still the question of logistics: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 84–85; SAC Historical Study #109, pp. 337–339.
187 Military officials hated the idea: Joseph Smith interview, January 23, 2007; Angier Biddle Duke, Living History interview, October 24, 1990, pp. 23–24.
187 he broke protocol and called: Angier Biddle Duke, Living History interview, October 24, 1990, pp. 23–24.
187 “Here we were in the ninth inning”: George Martin interview, May 9, 2007.
188 The crew of the USS Albany: Deck logs of the USS Albany, March 29, 1966; Francis Smith, e-mails to author, February 2 and 4, 2008. Smith was a gunner’s mate on the USS Albany during the bomb search. The deck logs for the morning of March 29 say, “Commenced handling TALOS missile warheads.” TALOS was a long-range naval surface-to-air missile. It could be equipped with either a conventional or a nuclear warhead. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the only mention of TALOS in the Albany deck logs during the Palomares mission.
188 “Because arrangements for overflights”: Cable, State and Defense to Embassy in Madrid, March 30, 1966, Deptel 1240 (LBJ).
188 Duke responded in a secret cable: Cable, Embassy in Madrid to SEC-STATE WASHDC PRIORITY, April 1, 1966, #849 (LBJ).
189 Guest assumed that the weapon: Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 82.
189 the crew found a track leading up: Ibid. and Rainnie, “How We Found the Missing H-Bomb,” p. 78.
189 the Alvin pilots began to imagine: George Martin interview, May 9, 2007; Lewis, One of Our H-Bombs, pp. 223–224; Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 82; Rainnie, “How We Found the Missing H-Bomb,” p. 78.
189 On the morning of April 2, Alvin dove: The description of this dive comes from author’s interview with George Martin, May 9, 2007; Aircraft Salvops Med, Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 86; and McCamis, “‘Captain Hook’s’ Hunt,” p. 27.
190 Red Moody heard a buzz: Red Moody interview, November 7, 2006.
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