Early on Monday, June 26, word reached Bodo, Norway's military and civilian surveillance and rescue center 50 miles north of the Arctic Circle, that a nuclear-powered Soviet submarine was dead in the water and billowing smoke 65 miles off the northern coast. There was an immediate sense of deja vu: in April another Soviet nuclear sub sank in the Norwegian Sea, with the loss of 42 lives. Following standard procedure, the center telexed its counterpart in the Soviet port of Murmansk to inquire if help was needed.
Not until 80 minutes later did an answer arrive at Bodo: the Soviets declined...