Mark Rascovich (1918–1976)

Beside being a pivotal and important part of U.S. and Korean history, reading this book is to help form an opinion on who is at fault here: North Korea, Bucher, the U.S. Navy? Now, I think all three.

My opinion? All three.

It is easy to read between the lines here that Bucher was a second-rate leader already hopeless for sub command and grasped at this mission to command even the humble Pueblo. It seems he was not the most capable man for the job and also went to sea with a poor XO that did show more not have his respect. In the pivotal moments when surrounded by elements of the North Korean navy, he did not have the means and discipline to get his secret material destroyed, although I agree with this decision not to engage the ships in battle.

As for the Navy, despite the the USS Liberty incident, the Navy was not prepared to protect or even rescue the Pueblo which is should have especially been prepared for nothing North Korea was on alert after their failed attempt to assassinate South Korea's President Park.

Bucher I also fault for the type of discipline he kept on his fellow POWs. His lengths to ridicule the North Koreans, such as having his men photographed with the middle finger as the "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign" seemed to do nothing more than earn them additional torture and privation. Surely morale could be maintained in other ways. The "full confession" included in the appendix with references to Barney Google and Sol Loxfinger and the "fickle finger of fate", etc. is hilarious.

My hardcover copy is personally inscribed to "Bob Wallace". I like to think this is the edgy radio operator/DJ of the Yorktown that was on the verge of responding to the Pueblo incident. I see online this Wallace was involved in organizing Yorktown reunions, so I like to think with his love of history he met the author to get this copy personalized. I will never know for sure, as Wallace passed away. show less

This book is a great re-telling of Moby Dick, set in the 1960's cold war era. The story concerns a destroyer in the North Atlantic whose mission is to seek out Russian submarines, and force them to surface. Once the submarines surface, they are photographed, and the game starts again. The problem occurs when one Russian submarine proves to be too elusive, and the Captain of the American destroyer takes it personally, as his own white whale. If you enjoy Tom Clanncy's techo-thrillers, this is show more an early example of the genre. If you have any Navy experience, I think you'd enjoy this book. show less

Soviet circus performer defects to save his aging bear

Excelent cold-war thriller done in a non-Hollywood style. Some might say disaster, or horror thriller. It's about a US destroyer pursuing a Soviet submarine in the Greenland/Arctic region. I say pursuing, it's not doing anything wrong other than veer into US territorial waters; whether it was deliberate or accidental, is anybody really sure? The USS Bedfords skipper is Capt Finlander (Richard Widmark) who is a believable, dislikeable, obsessive control freak. He decides to teach the Soviet show more sub a lesson by eventually forcing the submarine to surface when the batteries need recharging. This type of brinkmanship is designed to show who is boss! The rules of such game were simple: harass the enemy and try to get one up on them, but under no circumstances be the first one to fire! Effects and exterior shots are not an important part of the film. It's the dialogue, tension, camera angles and background noise that create the atmosphere. I must say that this decision did not lead me, the viewer, to feel sorry for the Soviets in 1965. But from this movie's perspective not only are the Americans perceived as being the aggressors but also having the upper hand. I still don't know how realistic this is. I'd probably still fnd this thriller admirable. show less