Declassified map of US Navy and Soviet ship positions during October 1962 Cuban missile crisis

Sedona AZ (October 14, 2014) – As a seasoned reporter, specializing in military technology, I’ve covered some incredible stories of military ingenuity and close calls over the years. So, when this reporter caught wind of a story alleging that the U.S. may have been closer to nuclear war in 1962 than previously made public, I set out to learn more.

A reliable tip led me to a high ranking insider from the former Kennedy administration, who agreed to meet with me to finally share his story with the world. The alleged events play out like a James Bond movie charged with action, a beautiful heroine and, of course, a remarkable “secret weapon.”

My source, code named “Russ”, long retired, met me at a ubiquitous Seattle coffee house on a damp autumn morning. Although quite elderly, Russ appeared the type of confident and respectable gentleman one would expect to have worked with powerful world leaders and dignitaries. He entered, black umbrella in hand, the collar of his dark trench coat pulled protectively around his neck. I stood to greet him, he nodded his salutation in return and wove his way through the crowded coffee shop to my table. We made our formal introductions with a handshake, and he sat to a steaming pot of tea. His time was limited, he politely reminded me, and I assured him he would make his appointments.

“Very well,” he said with a firm voice that flowed like rough sandpaper over cracked lacquer, while crossing a leg and pulling his teacup closer, “how can I assist you with this article you are working on?”

“Please, I’d like you to elaborate the story you began to share…you were rather cryptic with me on the phone.”

“Ah well,” he smiled knowingly, peering over his classic 1960’s black framed glasses once again in style, “it is the nature of the business to be discreet.”

I nodded my agreement and primed my pen and notepad.

“1962,” he began, “was a dynamic year…so many new and exciting developments in politics, civil rights, the race to outer space and science. On October 14 of that year, an American U2 reconnaissance spy plane discovered numerous SS-4 missile installations in Cuba. You’re familiar with what an SS-4 missile is?”

“I believe it’s a Soviet rocket.”

“A Soviet rocket that carries a 2.3 megaton nuclear warhead,” he elaborated, pointing his index finger, emphatically, on the table, “with an operational range of 1,292 miles. Such a powerful weapon poses a catastrophic problem for whatever lies within its range.”

Russ stirred the lemon wedge in his tea, tapped his spoon, then continued, “The Pentagon, fearing missile strikes against the continental U.S., devised a plan to utilize secret operatives already in place in Cuba to detonate one of these Soviet warheads by making it appear to be an accident, thereby eradicating the missile sites and the threat to the United States…while simultaneously crippling the Castro regime and humiliating the U.S.S.R. to the world. On its face, it was a clever plan, a plan that initially had gone awry.”

“What happened?”

“We were betrayed by one of our own. A mole working within the Pentagon tipped the Kremlin off to our mission and during the early morning hours of October 22, while in the act of recalibrating a weapon, Castro’s soldiers captured three of our elite operatives, including the beautiful Mishka.”

“Who was Mishka?” I asked, suddenly intrigued.

“She was one of our best agents. It is she who may have single-handedly prevented World War III.”

I was incredulous, “Really? How did she manage that?”

“Glue.”

I sputtered, “I’m sorry. Did you say glue?”

“I did. Not every secret weapon is a lethal one.”

Russ took a sip of his tea, leisurely, as if for emphasis, “A worthy agent is one who possesses ingenuity in daunting circumstances.”

“But glue?” I repeated.

I was beginning to think this interview was going to be a waste of time.

“You see,” Russ continued, “once our operatives were captured, they were, of course, searched and relieved of their weapons and belongings, including the legendary cyanide capsules to be consumed at their discretion in the event of capture. Mishka, the only female on the team, for whatever reason, wasn’t thoroughly strip searched and managed to retain a vial of special glue that she had hidden on her body. But the glue’s significance, comes later…

Less than ninety miles from the coast of Florida, Soviet ship with nuclear missiles is bound for Cuba in October 1962

Now, when news of the agents capture reached President Kennedy, he ordered a military blockade around Cuba, and for his Generals to launch a full invasion of the country if the blockade was breached for any reason. Late into the evening of the 22nd, the captured agents were loaded onto a truck and transferred to a nearby Cuban air base where they were immediately scheduled to board a military jet bound for the U.S.S.R. to complete their interrogation. Shortly after entering the base, a daring escape ensued that left one guard and two of our operatives dead amidst the fierce chaos. Our clever Mishka survived only by hurling herself from the moving truck to eventually hide under a pile of tarps inside a Soviet helicopter, which was just spooling up for take-off.”

I nodded my attention, the story was finally becoming interesting.

“This chopper, according to our sources, was scheduled to rendezvous with the Soviet ship Polotavia in order to relay a secure message from the Kremlin to the ship’s captain, giving strict orders that under no circumstances was the captain to delay the delivery of his payload of nuclear missiles, even if it meant breaching the U.S. Naval blockade…by whatever means necessary. And, to intensify matters, the message also stated that there were five Soviet submarines within close proximity of the Polotavia poised to attack any vessel trying to intercept or delay the missile carrier from reaching her port in Cuba.”

“It sounds as though Mishka and her vial of glue unwittingly headed in the right direction,” I interjected, still skeptical as to how glue was going to save the proverbial day.

“Yes, indeed,” said Russ, “and her work was only just beginning. It was to Mishka’s advantage that she had been fully briefed on Soviet tactical and support groups. That was how, when peering out from the belly of the Soviet helicopter as it descended, she was able to recognize that the Polotavia was a missile carrier, cradling SS-4 nuclear missiles beneath her decks.”

He paused briefly to examine the small assortment of pastries on the middle of our table. Then, thinking better of it, continued his narrative while I helped myself to a muffin.

“So upon landing, our Mishka remained hidden within the chopper until she saw an opportunity to enter the ship, with the intent to sabotage its engines. But, a guard on deck had spotted her egress from the helicopter and fired as she made for cover within the ship…

Surprisingly, once inside, she somehow licked onto several IDA-59 units, not unlike our own SCUBA diving re-breathers. And frantically, beneath a hail of bullets and clutching a re-breather, Mishka raced on deck again, receiving fire from the awaiting guards armed with the formidable Kalashnikov AK-47s. Still, she succeeded in diving into the darkness of the cold water below.”

“One can’t survive long in cold water without proper gear,” I added.

“True, but this was off the coast of Cuba, not like the waters here in Seattle, my friend…however, imagine having no explosives or tools of any kind at her disposal? She had to assess her situation swiftly, while struggling with the re-breather underwater. Undeterred, Mishka opted to make another attempt at sabotaging the Polotavia by, this time, disabling the rudder of the Soviet missile carrier using the only weapon at her disposal…glue.”

Incredulous, I blurted, “How can any small vial of glue disable the rudder of such a ship? And underwater no less!”

Russ began gesturing with his hands, “As you must already know, the U.S. Defense Department has scores of top notch scientists working on numerous secret inventions. This glue…this miracle adhesive…is but one of the many ingenious developments created by the Defense Department and only our most trusted operatives, including Mishka, worked closely with these scientists to field test the prototypes.”

His demeanor changed; it was no longer impassive, but conveyed an expression of sincere wonderment, “This particular glue functions in a variety of environments.”

“Doesn’t most glue?” I quipped, thinking of the variety of glues one would find in a hardware aisle.

“No, absolutely not,” Russ answered firmly, “there are marked differences. And Mishka knew this. She was familiar with this glue’s unique property and extensive capabilities, even in the most extreme environments. She had worked closely with the scientists who engineered the formula to bond to metal, plastic, ceramic, any surface. It was sticky underwater, yes, underwater! It could be rigid and flexible. Its original purpose was manifold, the scientists were instructed to create a portable yet powerful bonding material that could be used quickly in the field and with ease to repair high tech equipment. It had to be reliable. It was created to be the extreme all-purpose glue, the ultimate military field repair solution.”

“And how did this “Top Secret” glue perform that night?”

“Mishka confessed to me, long after her official debriefing, that she never had a doubt that the glue would perform as expected. And, indeed, the Captain of the Polotavia, unable to steer his vessel, stopped his engines while its engineers frantically tried to discover why the ship’s rudder was unresponsive. Shortly after Mishka’s narrow escape, it was later reported that the Captain received a subsequent message ordering him to stand down and maintain his position; he was in no way to proceed, or give any appearance that he was attempting to breach the U.S. Naval Blockade. Eventually, divers aboard the Polotavia were able to restore function to the its rudder, but the damage had been done…their mission was successfully thwarted by Mishka and her top secret glue.”

Russ gave a triumphant nod, “In 1989, the Kremlin revealed that the SS-4 missiles based in Cuba were in fact fully operational and primed for attack against the U.S. should the U.S. attempt a military action upon Cuban soil. It was a tense time in U.S.-Soviet history.”

He finished his tea, collected his umbrella and stood to leave.

“And what became of Mishka?” I asked, extending my hand across the table in thanks.

Russ gave a smile and winked, “She has gone the way of a legend.” And with that, he turned and disappeared into the bustle of the afternoon’s coffee rush.

So this reporter poses a question to readers:

Could it really be true that we narrowly averted disaster in October 1962 because a secret agent named Mishka used a top secret glue, underwater, to disable the rudder on a Soviet missile carrier, which prevented the Soviet ship from breaching a naval blockade that would have started World War III?

This October 2012 Hatch Kohldermann Reports article reprinted in the SedonaEye.com with permission.

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