From the history of the Cold War

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From the history of the Cold War: a British combat swimmer died in an accident, and not at the hands of Soviet intelligence

The famous British scuba diver Lionel Crabb, who collaborated with British intelligence, died not at the hands of Soviet combat swimmers, but as a result of an accident in April 1956 during an official visit of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to the UK on the cruiser Ordzhonikidze. This conclusion is made by the author of the new book, The Line of Death. The failure of Operation Claret. Secret Chronicle of April 56th Gennady Sokolov.
The mysterious disappearance of the legendary British submarine Crabbe in April 1956 during his reconnaissance mission under the cruiser Ordzhonikidze, on which Soviet leaders Khrushchev and Bulganin arrived on their first official visit to the UK, remains a mystery of the century for more than 50 years. In 1960, in England, in the book “The Magnificent Submariner” by Bernard Hatton, a certain “secret KGB dossier” was published, from which it followed that Crabbe was captured by the Russians and taken to the USSR, where he lives and works under the name of Lev Korablev. Half a century later, Russian media flooded reports of a sensational statement by "marine special forces veteran" Eduard Koltsov, who allegedly killed Crabbe on the night of April 19, 1956, when he installed a magnetic mine under the cruiser’s hull.
"Commander Lionel Crabbe died in an intelligence operation, but not as a result of any violent actions on the Soviet side, but as a result of an accident, most likely caused by a sharp deterioration in health, failure or malfunction of the equipment of the submariner during the operation," said RIA Novosti interview Gennady Sokolov.
According to him, the subject of Crabbe’s reconnaissance mission was the underwater part of the Ordzhonikidze cruiser’s hull, in particular, its propulsion system, propellers, their design and configuration. According to the assumption of British intelligence, the secret of the exceptional speed of the Soviet cruiser could be hidden in them.
The main conclusion reached by the author of the chronicle is that British intelligence ingloriously failed the Claret operation, having lost its submariner and allowing the publicity of its own actions. A political scandal erupted in the country. As a result, MI-6 chief, Major General John Sinclair, First Admiralty Lord Sir James Thomas, Director of Naval Intelligence Rear Admiral John Inglis and other important ranks lost their posts. The country's Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, who was under the fire of criticism not only from the opposition, but also from his own comrades in the Tory party, did not escape the forced resignation.
"No sabotage was planned by the British side. London did not need complications in relations with the Kremlin. There were enough international problems. Eden hoped to come to an agreement with Khrushchev. That was the main task of the visit in April. The attack against the Soviet leader would only aggravate the international situation and bring peace. to the brink of a nuclear disaster, "said Sokolov.
In his opinion, it is also obvious that the Soviet side did not plan and did not take any actions to physically eliminate or capture the British underwater reconnaissance during the parking of Soviet ships in Portsmouth harbor. "The plans of the Soviet leadership did not include aggravation of relations with Great Britain. The Kremlin’s course towards improving the international climate and peaceful coexistence was then clearly defined," Sokolov said.

Source: [DLMURL] https://www.rian.ru/world/20100420/224737749.html [/DLMURL]

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

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