
Operation Ivy Bells - montrose
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy_Bells
======
sizzzzlerz
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.

~~~
bmer
How did you know it was for Ivy Bells though? The Wiki article describes the
huge amount of secrecy around the project; so why did they trust you/your co-
workers?

~~~
dfsegoat
It's called need to know: If you read "Taking of K-129" \- about a related -
but even more secret op, you'll find countless examples of individual
contractors who had to be fully cleared into the program because they were
smart enough to "connect the dots".

The result there is they get briefed/cleared in, rather than kept on the
outside where their curiosity might blow things up.

------
matthewmcg
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]: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-
submergence_rescue_vehicl...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-
submergence_rescue_vehicle)

[2]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Thresher_(SSN-593)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Thresher_\(SSN-593\))

~~~
otp124
Ah, you beat me to referencing the book! The Soviets discovered one of these
Sea of Okhotsk tap pods, and interestingly enough it had printed on it
"Property of the United States Government".

More info here for those that don't want to read the book:
[https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/08/us/a-tale-of-daring-
ameri...](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/08/us/a-tale-of-daring-american-
submarine-espionage.html)

Edit: The pod ended up on display in the Ministry of Security's museum in
Moscow.

~~~
matthewmcg
Good article. And of course the obligatory _Glomar_ [1] response from the Navy
when asked for comment—“we can neither confirm nor deny.” That legal phrase
has an interesting undersea pedigree as well.[2]

[1]:
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_response](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_response)

[2]:
[https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/09/18/549535352/...](https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/09/18/549535352/how-
the-cia-found-a-soviet-sub-without-the-soviets-knowing)

------
Malic
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
> 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.

~~~
ethbro
Remember that was $40k... but presumably not in Soviet rubles.

For closed economies (e.g. the Soviet Bloc), foreign reserves were non-trivial
to acquire.

That said, it's still a bargain. But that's why every country has spies!

~~~
rdl
They had oil and diamonds. I don't think lack of foreign currency in those
amounts ever really limited what Soviet intelligence could do.

What has always amazed me is how trivially cheaply most treason is paid for;
it's almost always ego driven or blackmail driven, not outright "cash for
secrets".

~~~
chatmasta
See "The Psychology of Espionage and Leaking in the Digital Age" [0] from the
CIA for more on this. From the paper:

> What Causes Someone to Spy or Leak?

> "Crises and vulnerability together intensify emotions, undermine already
> compromised judgment, and galvanize impulses to seize opportunities to
> obtain escape or relief through ill-judged negative conduct. People in this
> state are ready targets for manipulation and recruitment for espionage. They
> are also primed for behavior such as leaking, if they believe it will bring
> them respite and reward."

[0] [PDF] [https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-
intellig...](https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-
intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/pdfs/why-spy-
why-leak.pdf)

------
tlb
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]
[http://blogs.mhs.ox.ac.uk/innovatingincombat/files/2013/03/I...](http://blogs.mhs.ox.ac.uk/innovatingincombat/files/2013/03/Innovating-
in-Combat-educational-resources-telegraph-cable-draft-1.pdf)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_40](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_40)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable#British_dominance_of_early_cable)

~~~
shawn
One thing I've wondered about history: There are dozens of stories of the
brilliance of allied decryption efforts, but very few about the German or
Japanese. Were they that far behind us?

~~~
rdl
We assumed they read a bunch of our lower tier codes, and the Germans
(specifically Deutsche Afrika Korps) completely dominated in radio direction
finding and traffic analysis, which was in many ways more important than
decrypts (and largely considered more sensitive from an ongoing security
perspective after the war, so not as publicized.)

Nachrichten-Fern-Aufkl-Kp 621 and Hauptmann Alfred Seebohm were pivotal for
DAK actions. There were some similar units on other fronts, but this one was
particularly well documented.

------
mrsteveman1
> 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]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator)

------
parvenu74
And the legacy of those days continues with the USS Jimmy Carter... very
interesting things that boat's "multi-mission platform" can achieve. :-)

[https://warisboring.com/secretive-u-s-navy-submarine-went-
on...](https://warisboring.com/secretive-u-s-navy-submarine-went-on-a-
dangerous-mission/)

------
V-2
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) :)

~~~
adamsea
Also it seems like a bargain if the NSA or CIA would monitor their employees
bank accounts and, if someone is running low on money, give them some cash and
then ease them into a role where they no longer have access to secrets, and
can be watched.

~~~
neoeldex
That would be socialist of the USA ;)

------
NamTaf
_" 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?

~~~
pietroglyph
It seems to imply that they would have... I suppose it's just like the risk of
getting shot and dying for one's country.

------
ggm
Did knowledge of the leaks in cables lead to advances in cryptography?

~~~
jlgaddis
It certainly did in the latter half of 2013.

