The Hunt for Red October Annotated Bibliography
Part I
“The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy highlights the fact that submarines played a significant role in cold war politics . It is particularly significant that this book reflects real world events, the mutiny aboard the Storozhevoy and the defection of Captain Jonas Pleskys of the Klaipeda . Tom Clancy’s approach to war is an intellectual power game rather than a horrifying detailed recitation of physical injuries . It shares aspects of underwater strategies like crazy Ivan where a ship tries to discover if another is following it, and move into battle position if it is. It is also about the relationship between individual military personnel, public politics and covert intrigue, leadership versus dominance, diplomacy and espionage and the threat to the United States from Soviet Submarines .
The character development relies heavily at times on the difference between the words people say and the communication exchanged, either deliberately or inadvertently, by expression and gesture. Over shadowing all these issues in “The Hunt for Red October” is Captain Marko Alexondrovich Ramius’s moral decision that his country’s military cannot be trusted with the ability to covertly approach major cities in the United States of America and shower them with nuclear missiles . The last two points are closely tied together as is illustrated in some of the other entries on the LABAS: The Lithuania E-Zine site. In one entry a Lithuanian translator was asked, “Do you speak Russian?” she answered “No.” when no Russian translator could be found she was asked to try her best, and much to the American’s surprise her Russian was flawless. When asked to explain why she had initially answered no she explained that although she was forced to learn Russian under the Soviet Regime she does not chose to speak it, there is a difference between can you speak Russian and do you speak Russian. Although she can speak it, she does not choose to do so. . Because of the oppression suffered under Soviet rule, a great deal of communication was exchanged nonverbally. Within the first, few pages of “The Hunt for Red October” Captain First Rank Marko Ramius and Captain Lieutenant Gregoriy Kamarov of the Soviet submarine Red October carry on an unspoken conversation in the presence of Zampolit Captain Second Rank Ivan Yurievich Putin. This is in keeping with the suppression of the freedom to speak suffered even by high-ranking officers in the Soviet Military service. Towards the end of the chapter, after Captain Ramius murders Zampolit Captain Putin additional unspoken communication is exchanged between Ramius and Vasily Borodin.
Part II
Detailed Bibliography Regarding Issues and Concerns
Clancy, T. (2012). The Hunt for Red October. Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Tom Clancy - Official Site: http://tomclancy.com/book_display.php?isbn13=9780425240335
This is Tom Clancy's own site. He selected and posted this excerpt. It is Chapter 1 - First Day and gives foretaste of the major issues addressed in the remainder of the novel. These issues include Captain Ramius’s moral determination to remove the threat of undetectable Soviet nuclear attack on coastal cities, his distaste of the destruction of the environment rendered by the Soviet disregard for the effects of their drive for military supremacy and his personal reasons for revenge. the verbal interplay and nonverbal communications carried out between Captain Ramius. It also contains the murder of the Zampolit Captain Second Rank Ivan Yurievich Putin.
Zagarins, J. (n.d.). The Man From Red October. Retrieved from LABAS: The Lithuanian E-Zine: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/LABAS/edition4.html
This source has exercpts from an interview with Jonas Pleskys’s sister. He was the Captain of the Klaipeda who defected to the United States. One of the things I did not realize until I found this site was how closely Captain Pleskys worked with Tom Clancy on this novel. For two years, he shared details about the construction, technology and life aboard a Soviet Submarine. Tom Clancy also drew much of the character of Captain Ramius from the personality of Captain Pleskys. Pleskys’s sister particularly commented on this one element. As I scrolled down to the section on “The Man From Red October”, I realized there were many things I did not understand about the relationship between Soviet Satellite Nations like Lithuania and their Russian overlords. In the Western World, the Soviet Union presented a united front, as I read the blog entries on this site I realized that the contempt and resentment ran deeper than I ever imagined. There also was an entry that helped define how delicately speech could define meaning. In a reality where the wrong words could get you imprisoned with no pretense at legal recourse to freedom of speech guarantees the subtle use of a word or two could convey meaning, without opening the speaker to arrest and imprisonment.
Segal, P. J., Smith, M. M., & Jaffe, J. (2012, 1). Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Help Guide: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm
Nonverbal communication can be repetition, contradiction, substitution, complementing & accenting. "The Hunt for Red October" features all of these. In a country where your words can subject you to criminal charges, small gestures are vital to convey your true meaning behind your quotable speech. Even with those concerns, it is still important to veil even your smallest gesture and expression to avoid prosecution. This site gives insight into how nonverbal communication can be accomplished, or concealed.
Complete Bibliography of Sources Cited
Clancy, T. (2012). The Hunt for Red October - First Day. Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Tom Clancy: http://tomclancy.com/excerpts/hunt_for_red_october_clancy.pdf
This is Tom Clancy's own site. It contains the author's information on the book "The Hunt for Red October." Interestingly, it does not have a synopsis about this book as it does for most of his other works. However, it does contain an excerpt, Chapter One - The First Day in lieu of further information. This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the novel.
Clancy, T. (2012). The Hunt for Red October. Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Tom Clancy - Official Site: http://tomclancy.com/book_display.php?isbn13=9780425240335
This is Tom Clancy's own site. He selected and posted this excerpt. It is Chapter 1 - First Day and gives a foretaste of the verbal interplay and nonverbal communications carried out between Captain Ramius. It also contains the murder of the Zampolit.
Kuznetsov, V. (2004, 12 30). Captain Sablin's Sword Bearer. Retrieved 5 9, 2012, from The Moscow News: http://web.archive.org/web/20041230025803/http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2002-45-10
This article is about Alexander Shein a crewmember and the only person other than Zamoplit Captain 3rd Rank, Sablin who was convicted in the Storozhevoi incident.
Segal, P. J., Smith, M. M., & Jaffe, J. (2012, 1). Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Help Guide: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm
Nonverbal communication can be repetition, contradiction, substitution, complementing & accenting. "The Hunt for Red October" features all of these.
Smithsonian Institute. (n.d.). Fast Attacks & Boomers - Introduction. Retrieved 5 9, 2012, from Smithsonian Institute: http://americanhistory.si.edu/subs/intro/index.html
This is an accurate but general overview of the role of submarines in the Cold War.
Submarines, Secrets and Spies. (1999, 1 19). Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Nova: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2602subsecrets.html
This is reliable information from PBS about submarine maneuver tactics including "Crazy Ivan."
The National Security Archive Briefing Book. (2002, 10 12). The Submarines of October. (W. Burr, & T. S. Blanton, Eds.) Retrieved 5 9, 2012, from The National Security Archive: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB75/
This article about the Cuban Missile Crisis provides in depth information about the threat to the U.S. from Soviet Subs.
Wenker, L. C. (1981, July-August). Morality and Military Obedience. Retrieved 5 8, 2012, from Air University Review: http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1981/jul-aug/wenker.htm
This explores the conflict endured when individuals are confronted with military orders they feel are not moral
Zagarins, J. (n.d.). The Man From Red October. Retrieved from LABAS: The Lithuanian E-Zine: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/LABAS/edition4.html
This site provides insight into the character and personality of Jonas Pleskys by his sister. It includes the information that Captain Pleskys spent two years with Clancy providing technical information and details of his escape. It also supplies a variety of experiences and attitudes of the Lithuanian people towards the Soviet Union and the Russians.
