Customer Reviews

The Price of Vigilance

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Shortly after reading Curtis Peebles' "Shadow Flights," I saw "The Price of Vigilance" on the shelf at my local bookstore. Recognizing the doomed C-130A '528' on the front cover, I could not resist picking the book up.

I was concerned that the introduction of the book began by discussing the recent EP-3E incident near Hainan, PR China, fearing the book was a cheap attempt at capitalizing on recent events. I am glad to say that I thought wrong.

The book is an incredible compendium of incidents between U.S. reconaissance aircraft and Soviet fighters. Every incident is described and analyzed in exacting detail. Even the EP-3E-focused introduction is intensely researched and well thought out. I was impressed that Tart and Keefe were able to acquire internal Soviet documents detailing the incidents and the U.S. reaction, which provides fascinating and fresh viewpoints from which to view these provocative moments of the Cold War.

As mentioned, the introduction focuses almost exclusively on the April 2001 collision involving a U.S. Navy EP-3E ARIES II ELINT aircraft and a Chinese J-8II fighter. The first half of the book details most every hostile incident between U.S. recce crews and Soviet 'defenders,' a history of U.S. aerial SIGINT and COMINT since WWII, and a history of the USAF Security Service, which was responsible for much of the airborne electronic intelligence gathering along the Soviet border regions. The second half of the book details the shootdown of an USAF C-130A on 2 September, 1958 over Soviet Armenia, and its repercussions. The wayward C-130, tail number 60528, lost with all 17 aboard, became a symbol of the risky aerial ELINT game played in the 1950s and 1960s along the Soviet border regions.

Though not as friendly to the causal reader as "Blind Man's Bluff," to which it has been likened, "The Price of Vigilance" is a fascinating look at a shadowy and deadly aspect of the Cold War that is a must-read for anyone interested in the Cold War, the history of surveillance, or someone looking for a real life spy thriller.

From the hearts of two "been there, done that" experts obsessed with presenting a masterful recital of a heretofore mysterious Cold War tragedy, comes a story chock-full of indisputable evidence of what actually happened to 17 American patriots at a critical period in Soviet-American history. Superbly interwoven from contemporary international tensions of U.S. Navy EP-3E's encounter with Communist Chinese fighter jets to four-decade-old obscurity of U.S. Air Force C-130's tragic shootdown by Soviet MiGs, this work focuses on American intelligence-gathering airborne platforms and personifies those unsung heroes who selflessly put their lives on the line to maintain American freedom. Presents a candid revelation of true-to-life events in the past with enlightening postulations of the rationale for this obscure incident, aptly amplified by the excruciating personal heartaches suffered by those innocent victims--the families--of such a senseless tragedy. Absolutely a monumental tribute to 17 "Silent Warriors" who made the ultimate sacrifice and to their loved ones who were left adrift in wonderment for half their lives. God bless each and every one of them! This book should excite now- and future-generation readers to explore and understand historical events so that they can more fully appreciate the extraordinary "Price of Vigilance" in preserving the American way of life. Regrettably too many had to wait too long for the "true story" of this dasterdly historical event. My sincere gratitude to the authors and publisher for their untiring efforts in bringing this meaningful expose' to readers everywhere.

Larry Tart and Robert Keefe have written a book which will establish itself as an historical documentary on aerial reconnaissance during the Cold War.

This book should be read by every American so that they will know that while they were sleeping young airmen were keeping vigilance over them 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year. It was a dangerous business by some extremely bright and creative young men, often times too bright and creative for the military service. But they did an outstanding job and helped win the Cold War.

Larry Tart and Robert Keefe were two of the men involved in this business. They know the inside scoop and the behind the scenes stuff like no one else but those who did the work.

This book will undoubtedly surprise those who were not aware of these covert activities during the Cold War. Planes were shot down, men died, and some were never accounted for. Now at least the world will know their story and hopefully offer up a silent "Thank you" to these "Silent Warriors."

This book is written from an insider's perspective. It gives the reader an idea of what went on during the Cold War. It also gives you an idea of the secrecy that pervaded certain American endeavours during this time. The secrecy was such that it took the families of those lost almost 40 years to get a true idea of what their loved ones did and what they died for. It was a difficult time for all involved.

"The Price of Vigilance" is well written and well researched; it is also eminently readable. It reads like a thriller; except, it all happened as written.

The title for the review, "All Nines", is an Air Force expression for outstanding performance. Enlisted performance reports had numerical ratings from zero to nine, nine being outstanding.

Timing is everything in life; the main reason I bought this book was timing. The China / U.S. spy plane midair crash and forced landing had just wrapped up and was still in the general media when this book came out. It sounded interesting and timely so I picked it up. The book covers every signal intelligence flight that was lost during the years of the cold war with primary focus on Europe and the USSR. The authors also included a chapter on the recent China / U.S. incident. I found that the recent events were the most interesting and best-written part of the book.

The number of U.S planes that were either shot at or shot down shocked me by the Russians. I was disappointed by the book dust jacket and the mention that the book would go into more detail about how these flights played a major role in avoiding armed conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. There did not seem to be a lot in the book to back this up, what did the USSR do different because these planes were in the air other then to put together a campaign to harass them.

The book is very detailed and well researched with all most too much detail. I was interested in the full story, but the book just overloaded me with so much detail I felt like I was getting a military briefing by the crew. Because of the many details and the dry writing, the book can drag a little in parts. It is interesting and if you are interested in the topic you will find value.

Mr. Tart and Mr. Keefe have combined on a very interesting, easy reading and enjoyable book. When I started on it I could not put it down until I finished it. When my wife went to bed the last thing she said was "don't stay up all night reading!" Well it was not all night but did comsume most of it. The authors have not only presented the "facts" side of the Soviet shoot down of C-130 60528 but have covered the "human" side as well. The other major confrontations and shoot downs by Russia, China and others which are covered in the book are simply bonus material. The authors have included material that I would have never thought that they could have found such as actual Soviet documents containing details, investigations and decisions that the Russians had made at the time of the incident. The authors have done a great job and I highly recommend the book not only for the interesting reading but also for the historical significance as well. This book is NOT just for former U.S. Air Force Security Service personnel such as I but needs to serve as a lesson(i.e.-The Price of Vigilance) for everyone!

The Price of Vigilance is one of the most informative and historical books of the Cold War that I have had the pleasure to read. I have used this book for researching my own book, THESE GUYS, to come out in about 18 months. The unit 6901st in Zweibrucken (West Germany at the time of Cold War) is mentioned many times, which is difficult to find, if at all. The transcript of MIG Pilots shooting down our C-130 - tail # 60528 is hair raising. This is reality. This is military history at it's best. Writing is superb!Citations are as good as the book! Well done, Larry Tart and Bob Keefe. I salute you.

Like most people I've heard about Gary Powers and the shooting down of his U-2 spy plane but until the recent incident in China I didn't know much about our other intelligence gathering missions. This book changed all that. They were doing this stuff all the way back to the Second World War on bombing raids over Japan using Nisei operators. Very interesting stuff.

If you like the really technical side of military aviation then this is the book for you. But if you're more like me and like the human side of things, this is also the book for you. Both the authors actually flew these missions so they not only know what it was like, they tell you exactly what it felt like. The main story about the shooting down of flight 60528 is just heart wrenching. What really surprised me though is just how many of our planes have been attacked over the years. The research in this book is great.

An outstanding, well-documented account depicting the role of Cold War airborne communications reconnaisance platforms focusing on the role of its aircrew members (both aircraft mission crew and recon crew) with the resultant loss of some of those platforms. The book concentrates on the loss over Soviet Armenia 9/2/1958 of one of those platforms; ACRP 60528, a new-generation C-130A-II turbo-prop aircraft. Includes actual gun camera shootdown photos taken from assaulting MiG-17s during the attack. Of particular interest is the story of the birth of airborne reconnaisance during WWII with American Nisei intercept operators and how it evolved into today's intelligence collection platforms utilizing sophisticated RC-135 aircraft, state-of-the-art onboard equipment and highly talented crews. Reading each chapter propels one back into yesteryear recalling all those hours spent on flight lines waiting for mission launch while the whiff of JP-4 fuel drifts through each nostril as you turn the page. This is a must-read 'n keep for anyone who has ever flown on these missions, or are family or friend to those that flew these missions. For most of you who remained on terra firma during the 50s, 60s and 70s, you will finally be enlightened (with declassified material from NSA, CIA former Soviet archives and other sources) as to what really went on during the Cold War as performed by your Silent Warriors who orbited the unfriendly skies in search for useful intelligence.These men flew unarmed, unescorted and were too loyal to be afraid. This documentary is a more-than fitting tribute, and should be treated as a collectors item.

This is an excellent book. Most people don't realize the price that people have paid, and are STILL paying because they chose this line of work. This book tells you the personal details of those who have sacrificed, and helps the reader to better understand what thier lives were like.

Of course, I am probably impartial because Capt John Simpson, the co-pilot on the C-130 that this book is about is my husband's grandpa.