The Hughes Glomar Explorer’s Secret Mission to Recover a Sunken Soviet Submarine


184. Memorandum From the Director of Central Intelligence (Helms) to the Chairman of the 40 Committee (Kissinger)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 80M01066A: E[xecutive] R[egistry] Subject Files, Executive Registry Subject Files—1975 JENNIFER. Top Secret; JENNIFER.


185. Memorandum From the Chairman of the United States Intelligence Board (Colby) to the Chairman of the 40 Committee (Kissinger)

Source: National Security Council Files, Nixon Administration Intelligence Files, AZORIAN Project. Top Secret; JENNIFER; [codeword not declassified]; AZORIAN.


186. Memorandum to the Chairman of the 40 Committee (Kissinger)

Source: National Security Council Files, Nixon Administration Intelligence Files, AZORIAN Project. Top Secret; JENNIFER/[codewords not declassified]; AZORIAN. Ellipses in the original.


187. Memorandum From Rob Roy Ratliff of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Kissinger

Source: National Security Council Files, Nixon Administration Intelligence Files, AZORIAN Project. Top Secret; JENNIFER. Outside the system. Sent for information. Kennedy concurred.


188. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Security Council Files, Nixon Administration Intelligence Files, 40 Committee Meetings, Aerial Recon. Papers, 1974. Top Secret; JENNIFER. No copies were distributed. Drafted by Ratliff.


189. Minutes of Meeting

[Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 80M01066A: E[xecutive] R[egistry] Subject Files, Box 3, Executive Registry Subject Files—1975 JENNIFER. Top Secret; JENNIFER. Three pages not declassified.]


190. Minutes of a National Security Council Meeting

Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box TS 85, National Security Council, Meetings, Aug.–Sept. 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The NSC meeting, Ford’s first since assuming the presidency on August 9 following Nixon’s resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal, took place in the White House Cabinet Room. The minutes are printed in their entirety as Document 40 in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Vol. XXXVIII, Part 1, Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1973–1976.


191. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of the United States Intelligence Board (Hughes) to the Chairman of the United States Intelligence Board (Colby)

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; [codewords not declassified]; MATADOR; [codeword not declassified]. Under a covering memorandum, November 11, Lowe forwarded the memorandum to USIB members “for Board review of the intelligence value which would warrant consideration of another MATADOR mission based on the conclusions in paragraph 5 of Mr. Hughes’ memorandum.” Lowe continued, “The DCI wishes by close of business on 11 November Board concurrence in, or other views on, another MATADOR mission, specifically from the viewpoint of intelligence requirements.” (Ibid.)


192. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the United States Intelligence Board (Lowe) to Holders of USIB–D–72.1/17

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; [codewords not declassified]; MATADOR/[codeword not declassified]. Special limited distribution.


193. Memorandum From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Clements) to the Chairman of the 40 Committee (Kissinger)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 80M01009A: Subject Files, Box 16, MATADOR. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. A handwritten note on the memorandum indicates that Clements signed it on November 14. Colby received the memorandum on November 15, according to an attached correspondence profile. (Ibid.)


194. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, 40 Committee Meetings, Minutes/Approvals, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Drafted by Ratliff.


195. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Outside the system. Sent for action. Ratliff forwarded the memorandum to Kissinger under a covering memorandum, January 28, with the recommendation that he sign it.


196. Memorandum From Rob Roy Ratliff of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft)

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Outside the system. Sent for information.


197. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversations, Box 10, March 19, 1975—Ford, Schlesinger, Colby, Buchen, Marsh, Rumsfeld. Secret; Nodis. The meeting, held in the White House Cabinet Room, lasted until 12:25 p.m. (Ibid., Staff Secretary’s Office, President’s Daily Brief)


198. Memorandum From the Director of Central Intelligence (Colby) to the Chairman of the 40 Committee (Kissinger)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 80M01009A: Subject Files, Box 16, MATADOR. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Brackets in the original memorandum. A handwritten note on the memorandum indicates that Colby presented it to the USIB Ad Hoc Committee Meeting on May 30, of which no record was found.


199. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Staff Assistants: Peter W. Rodman Files, 1974–1977, Box 1, Subject File, Glomar Explorer. Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. An attached memorandum, unsigned and undated, from Scowcroft to Rumsfeld indicates that Kissinger’s memorandum was to be delivered “to the President in a red folder.”


200. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 80M01066A: E[xecutive] R[egistry] Subject Files, Box 3, Executive Registry Subject Files—1975 Glomar Explorer—[codeword not declassified]. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]/BYEMAN. Drafted by John M. Clarke of the CIA.


201. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, 40 Committee Meetings, Minutes/Approvals, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. No distribution. Drafted by Ratliff.


202. Memorandum Prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 80M01066A: E[xecutive] R[egistry] Subject Files, Box 3, Executive Registry Subject File—1975 [codeword not declassified]. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Colby forwarded the memorandum to Scowcroft under a covering memorandum, May 1, which reads as follows: “I have had the attached paper prepared here which discusses possible Soviet reactions to a second MATADOR mission attempt.” Ratliff forwarded the CIA’s memorandum to 40 Committee members under a covering memorandum, May 8, “in anticipation of Committee deliberations on the subject.” Colby’s and Ratliff’s memoranda are ibid. In a May 1 memorandum to Scowcroft, Ratliff asked, in light of the CIA’s assessment, “Can we continue to do something, or should we cut bait now and recover what we can?” (National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975)


203. Memorandum to the 40 Committee

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Copies were sent to Kissinger, Clements, Colby, Sisco, and George Brown.


204. Memorandum to the Chairman of the 40 Committee

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR.


205. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, 40 Committee Meetings, Minutes/Approvals, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Drafted by Ratliff.


206. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1975. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]; MATADOR. Outside the system. Sent for action. Ratliff forwarded the memorandum to Kissinger under a covering memorandum, June 11, with the recommendation that he forward it to the President for decision. (Ibid.)


207. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, 40 Committee Meetings, Minutes/Approvals, 1975. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Ratliff.


208. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford

Source: National Security Council Files, Ford Administration Intelligence Files, MATADOR, 1976. Secret. Sent for action. Ratliff forwarded the memorandum to Scowcroft under a covering memorandum, August 23, with the recommendation that he forward it to Ford. (Ibid.)