Documents published by the CIA in mid-January reveal a crash between the United States and a Soviet submarine in 1974 during the cold war just a few miles off the coast of Scotland, The Guardian reports.
The SSBN James Madison, which had 16 Poseidon nuclear missiles on board, was leaving the U.S. naval base at Holy Loch, 30 miles northwest of Glasgow, when it hit an unidentified Soviet submarine.
"Have just received word from the Pentagon that one of our Poseidon submarines has just collided with a Soviet submarine," read a cable from then-national security adviser Brent Scowcroft.
"The SSBN James Madison was departing Holy Loch to take up station when it collided with a Soviet submarine waiting outside the port to take up trail. Both submarines surfaced and the Soviet boat subsequently submerged again. There is no report yet of the extent of damage. Will keep you posted."
The CIA released more than 12 million pages of declassified records online on Jan. 17, the largest purge in agency history.
Kate Hudson, general secretary of the UK's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, told The Guardian that the public "shouldn't have to wait 40 years for the CIA to release documents to know the truth."
Which is why the CND is calling for an inquiry into Trident, the successor to the Poseidon program, after reports emerged that the test of a British nuclear missile off the Florida coast ended in failure.
"The history of nuclear weapons is a history of near misses, accidents, potential catastrophes and cover-ups. This latest example joins 25 other near misses that could have led to nuclear war."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.