UK (5 Aug 2005) -- Fresh light is shed on one of the most enduring mysteries of the Cold War with the release of secret files to the National Archives. The disappearance of the diving ace, Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb, in 1956 while on a secret mission to spy on a Russian cruiser has long been shrouded in uncertainty and speculation. However, the papers released reveal that Crabb was not the only diver to try to discover the secrets of the Ordzhonikdze as she was moored in Portsmouth harbour. They contain what is thought to be the first official confirmation that a second team from the Royal Navy mounted another covert attempt to reconnoitre the vessel. Although the mission was supposed to have been called off, it still went ahead as an "unofficial enterprise". The Ordzhonikdze had brought the Russian leader Nikita Khruschev to Britain for official talks with the Government. MI6 is believed to have taken the opportunity to carry out a surreptitious survey of the vessel's design, asking Crabb to survey its hull and propellors. However, the operation turned into a fiasco after the Russians spotted a diver in the harbour and Crabb failed to return, prompting a furious diplomatic row. A year later a corpse - thought to be Crabb's - was found in in Chichester Creek with its head and hands cut off. However in the absence of any conclusive identification, rumours flourished that he had been captured alive by the Russians and taken back to the Soviet Union. While the files released do not settle that issue, they do reveal the existence of the second spying mission. The papers relate to Government attempts in the 1970s to dissuade the the BBC from running a documentary on the affair. | | In a note to Prime Minister Edward Heath, marked "Secret - UK Eyes Alpha", Cabinet Secretary Sir Burke Trend stated: "The BBC now know that, in addition to the operation by Crabb, a separate diving operation was planned by the Royal Navy against the Russian cruiser. They have also got wind of the fact this second operation, although officially called off, nevertheless took place as an unofficial enterprise". The source for the story was said to be one of the divers involved. Trend noted: "The Ministry of Defence have so far been unable to identify this officer, but there seems no reason to doubt the claim." SOURCE - icEaling |
