Three Miles Down (2022) [/]
Jan 12 2026
Harry Turtledove's Three Miles Down is subtitled "A novel of first contact in the tumultuous 1970s". In the waning days of Watergate as President Nixon is busy defending himself, UCLA ceanographic graduate student Jerry Stieglitz is recruited by the CIA to go aboard Howard Hughes' Glomar Explorer.
Historically that mining exploration ship was used to secretly raise the sunken Soviet submarine K-129. In this history that is a cover mission because what is next to the wreck of K-129 is an intact alien space ship which probably sunk K-129. Along with the technical difficulties of the Glomar Explorer's mission (whether it was used for K-129 or another object that deep, it was quite a technical achievement and the book goes into the difficulties in some detail) and interference from the Soviets who are suspicious, Jerry has philosophical difficulties.
Jerry is rather liberal left-leaning on a ship that is very conservative, right wing, and enthusiastically pro-Nixon (even the non-government types since the ship has a lot of civilian sea mining crew and such). Once the alien ship is recovered and some exploration is done Jerry comes to realize (actually even before then) that this is too big a discovery for the USA to hog for itself.
Once Jerry's part is done and he is sent back home he returns to his normal life, except that he did smuggle a few photographs, an act which if found out would get him terminally sanctioned by the CIA. But a couple of months later news reports start coming out about the Glomar Explorer and further events make Jerry believe that the CIA may have targeted him "just to be sure" so he runs and travels cross country from Los Angeles to Washington DC to speak with the only people who can save him, the people at the Soviet Embassy...
This is a well written story full of 1970's stuff that is either very relevant (such as Watergate, Nixon's impeachment, and President Gerald Ford now being given the alien hot potato) or stuff that is mentioned in passing like the price of gasoline or the current Dodgers and Angels teams.
Ultimately this is more of a conspiracy/thriller type story than a science fiction aliens story -- it even ends just as one of the aliens is finally awoken so we don't know if that first contact ultimately turns out good or bad. As such this is not really the kind of story I would have chosen to read but it's still a fine tale.
Historically that mining exploration ship was used to secretly raise the sunken Soviet submarine K-129. In this history that is a cover mission because what is next to the wreck of K-129 is an intact alien space ship which probably sunk K-129. Along with the technical difficulties of the Glomar Explorer's mission (whether it was used for K-129 or another object that deep, it was quite a technical achievement and the book goes into the difficulties in some detail) and interference from the Soviets who are suspicious, Jerry has philosophical difficulties.
Jerry is rather liberal left-leaning on a ship that is very conservative, right wing, and enthusiastically pro-Nixon (even the non-government types since the ship has a lot of civilian sea mining crew and such). Once the alien ship is recovered and some exploration is done Jerry comes to realize (actually even before then) that this is too big a discovery for the USA to hog for itself.
Once Jerry's part is done and he is sent back home he returns to his normal life, except that he did smuggle a few photographs, an act which if found out would get him terminally sanctioned by the CIA. But a couple of months later news reports start coming out about the Glomar Explorer and further events make Jerry believe that the CIA may have targeted him "just to be sure" so he runs and travels cross country from Los Angeles to Washington DC to speak with the only people who can save him, the people at the Soviet Embassy...
This is a well written story full of 1970's stuff that is either very relevant (such as Watergate, Nixon's impeachment, and President Gerald Ford now being given the alien hot potato) or stuff that is mentioned in passing like the price of gasoline or the current Dodgers and Angels teams.
Ultimately this is more of a conspiracy/thriller type story than a science fiction aliens story -- it even ends just as one of the aliens is finally awoken so we don't know if that first contact ultimately turns out good or bad. As such this is not really the kind of story I would have chosen to read but it's still a fine tale.