STOP: The $50 Billion Betrayal That Ended Ivy Bells. Discover the shocking surprise truth of Operation Ivy Bells and the Ronald Pelton espionage case that blinded the U.S. Navy. This military history documentary reveals how a 6-ton induction pod and one male's $65,000 debt altered the Cold War power balance forever.
TL; DR: In the 1970s, the U.S. Navy introduced Operation Ivy Bells, using the USS Halibut to tap top-secret Soviet undersea cable televisions in the Sea of Okhotsk. Utilizing a 6-ton induction pod, the U.S. stole unencrypted Soviet naval intelligence for a decade-- till Ronald Pelton, a debt-ridden NSA expert, offered the secret to the KGB for just $35,000. This is the story of the best undersea break-in in history and the betrayal that ended it.
In this documentary, we dive deep into:.
The technical genius of the 6-ton induction pod and magnetic induction.
How the USS Halibut used "skegs" to sit quietly on the Soviet seafloor.
The psychological profile of Ronald Pelton (alias "Mr. Long") and his $65,000 financial obligation.
The 1981 satellite discovery that proved the ocean had actually gone dark.
Modern-day seabed warfare and why 99% of the web is still at risk.
⏳ TIMESTAMPS:. 00:00 - The 6-Ton Secret in the Sea of Okhotsk. 03:00 - The Dramatic Concern: Who Owned the Water? 07:30 - Pillar 1: The Night the Ocean Spoke. 15:00 - Pillar 2: Discovering the Needle (Soviet Cable Television Reasoning). 22:45 - Pillar 3: The Induction Pod (Faraday's Theft). 30:15 - Pillar 4: The Haul (What the Tapes Exposed). 38:00 - Pillar 5: A Secret Too Big to Conceal. 45:30 - Pillar 6: Meet Ronald Pelton ($ 65,000 Betrayal). 53:00 - Pillar 7: Turning Ears Versus Us (The 1981 Discovery). 01:02:00 - Pillar 8: The Ocean Feels Wrong. 01:10:00 - Pillar 9: The FBI Hunt for "Mr. Long". 01:18:00 - Pillar 10: Quiet Handcuffs, Loud Repercussions. 01:25:00 - Pillar 11: Damage Assessment (The Morgue of Sound). 01:32:00 - Pillar 12: Reconstructing the Shield in Silence. 01:40:00 - Pillar 13: The Night We Nearly Missed It. 01:48:00 - Pillar 14: Tradition: Today's Fiber Optic Cables. 01:55:00 - Pillar 15: What We Still Do Not Know.
Legal Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes and utilizes declassified historical records, testimony, and professional analysis to rebuild occasions. All content is presented within the context of military history and geopolitical method.
