Himalayan Spy Mission | Retrieval | 2

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2023

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Winter storms arrived early on the Himalayan peak Nanda Devi, forcing the team of American and Indian climbers to retreat down the mountain and abandon the nuclear-powered spying device. Now in the spring of 1966, the team has to go back up to retrieve it. But they are unprepared for what they will discover when they get there.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime members, you can listen to against the odds at free on Amazon music. Download the app today.
0:14.2	Captain Mohan Singh Kohli walks down a dark hall in a concrete government building in New Delhi.
0:20.6	He pauses when he reaches the office of Rameshwar Nathkal, the director of a secretive branch of India's intelligence bureau.
0:28.5	It's early 1966. A few months ago Kohli had to call off a climb on Nunda Devi when winter arrived early and it became too dangerous to continue.
0:40.6	The climbers were trying to secure a plutonium-powered spine device on top of the mountain to monitor China's nuclear program.
0:48.5	But less than 2,000 feet from the summit, they were forced to turn back, leaving the device behind.
0:54.7	Since then, in meeting after meeting, Kohli has had to defend his decision to leave top secret CIA-built spy equipment unattended near the summit of India's tallest peak.
1:07.2	In the end, everyone agreed that he made the right call. It would have been too dangerous to attempt to bring the device back down in extreme weather.
1:15.7	Still, the incident is a dark spot on his record. He's anxious to redeem himself.
1:21.7	Now, he hopes Kohli is about to give him that chance.
1:26.7	Kohli has been summoned to New Delhi to get director Koh's orders on how to proceed.
1:31.7	He adjusts his turbine, knocks on the office door, and enters.
1:36.7	Director Koh sits behind his neat wooden desk. He gestures for Kohli to set.
1:43.7	The CIA has changed their mind. Now they say their spine device can be placed at a lower elevation.
1:48.7	Kohli is stunned. The entire reason they attempted to place the spine device atop Nunda Devi is because it's more than 25,000 feet tall.
1:59.7	The CIA said the device had to be that high in order to monitor the Chinese atomic bomb tests in Xinjiang province, hundreds of miles away.
2:09.7	What changed, sir?
2:11.7	Kaus Miles. I guess the CIA's brilliant researcher is miscalculated. Look, all I know is that now we can aim for an easier peak.
2:21.7	All right, which one? You'll be climbing Nunda Coat. You're familiar with it, I believe?
2:28.7	Kohli is relieved to hear the choice. He submitted Nunda Coat six years ago. It's no walk in the park, but still much easier than Nunda Devi.
2:37.7	It slopes are less steep, and its peak is 3,000 feet lower than Nunda Devi's.
2:44.7	When do we leave, sir? Don't get ahead of yourself. First, you'll need to retrieve the device you left on Nunda Devi.
	...

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