God & Spies

Recently Declassified Top Secret Operation

By: GM Matheny

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Author G. M. Matheny was a US Navy saturation diver on the nuclear submarine USS Halibut involved in Operation Ivy Bells, America's most important (and most dangerous of the Cold War) clandestine operations. If you like good old-fashioned American bravado, espionage, and American history, you will enjoy this book.

God & Spies is a firsthand account of America's greatest intelligence coup.

Operation Ivy Bells was not a onetime intercept of foreign intelligence but an ongoing operation of multiple Soviet military channels! Another reason for the high interest in our operation was the audacious nature in which it was done - with not one person risking his neck but the crews of two US Navy nuclear submarines which rendezvoused in Soviet territorial waters.

"How did I end up as a navy diver, 400 feet down in a frigid Russian sea? After making my dad totally disgusted with me, I set out to make him happy. 'Honor thy father' - I struggled with a decision to serve God. 'Lord, I will give my life to you and serve you if you let me make this dive.' But I had the impression He only wanted to know one thing: 'What if I do not let you? Will you serve me anyway?'"

©2018 GM Matheny (P)2019 Tantor

Ivy Bells

This was an awesome story about submarine operations under the waters control by the Soviet union. Excellent story by an excellent storyteller great insight into saturation, diving, listening in on the Soviet Union and the study into God.

So grateful!

I’m grateful to Mr Matheny for his contributions to the security of our country & the choices he made as a brother in Christ.

Good story

I enjoyed the story. It’s inspiring to know what people will do for their country and it’s heartbreaking to know what one person can do to destroy all the hard work. I enjoyed the narrator. He had a good voice. I do have two complaints, though about the narration. Chief of the boat (cob) is pronounced cob, as in corn on the cob. It is not pronounced “C-o-b”. It was annoying hearing that so many times.

Also, it was very annoying hearing all the citations, specifying the CIA releases. Listening to all of those dates and numbers being read off made me want to stop listening to the book. Could we not just put those into an appendix?

I appreciate the author’s attention to detail.

Just what I’ve been looking for, a literary work combining my interest and passion in God, the Bible, espionage and submarines! Thanks very much.

Interesting Insight in to Operation Ivy Bells

Not much here that has not been told before. It is very interesting to hear it from one of the divers who actually did the work. Parts of the book get very preachy as though the author's main intent by writing the book is to convert you to his religion. Overall if you are looking to learn about Ivy Bells seek elsewhere. Blind Man's Bluff has more info and better explanation. If after that you want the POV from someone who was there, then read this.

Incomparable "dive" into one of the most harrowing and riveting intelligence coup of the Cold War

Excellent on a historical level. However I am a bit at discomfort with the level of Christian proselytism exhibited by the author.
All in all a nice story about Cold War sigint that we don’t read or hear of very often. I was well aware of operation Ivy Bells, but having an in depth view of a main protagonist was a nice addition to this fascinating story.
To be held to the same standard of spying audacity as Project Azorian even if not at the same scale of course.
4 stars through and through.

interesting story, less well written

whilst the story, told by one of the participants, is interesting, the author's use of excessive, bordering on pedantic use of endless CIA clearing codes was getting seriously annoying. Add to this a predominantly american style preaching, makes you wonder if the author's main purpose had become to use this book as a tool to "convert" listeners. At the epilogue, the narrative turned to bitterness by the author for having been prevented to brag to the world about his Classified work. I beg you to skip the drivel of the Epilogue.