As already discussed in detail by postings archived on this (IUSSCAA) site under the writer's commentaries and by an article on pages 98-105 of the SPRING 2012 issue of THE SUBMARINE REVIEW, the GOLF-II Class Soviet SSB K-129 was lost on 11 March 1968 when a hydrogen explosion in the after battery compartment allowed an apparent dual R-21/D4 missile launch training event scheduled for 12:00:00Z to become the firing of both missiles to fuel exhaustion (95.2s and 95.4s) within their closed – but subsequently breached – launch tubes. This assessment was based on a 2008 analysis of acoustic detections of the K-129 event by Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) sensors (hydrophones).

A Russian source confirmed the firing time of the R-21/D4 to achieve a maximum range of 1300 km was “about 94s." When the disaster occurred, the K-129 was 1318 km from Henderson Field on Midway. No other US military target was within range of the R-21/D4 missile system.

The question that should be asked is: was this apparent K-129 simulated attack on Midway an isolated training event or was it part of a Soviet nuclear strike drill involving other components of their Strategic Nuclear Forces? If this was the case, what events could have prompted the Soviet Union to conduct such a drill?

The answer to the second question may be Czechoslovakia where, in early January 1968, Antonin Novotny, the Stalinist ruler was succeeded as first secretary by Alexander Dubcek, a Slovak who supports liberal reforms. In the first few months of his rule, Dubcek introduced a series of far-reaching political and economic reforms, including increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents.

By late March 1968, it had become apparent to the West that Soviet military intervention in Czechoslovakia was a real possibilty. On August 20, 1968, 600,000 Warsaw Pact troops did invade Czechoslovakia and put an end to the “Prague Spring.”

The “Intriguing Conjecture” is that, uncertain about what the West would do if Czechoslovakia was invaded, the Soviets conducted a large scale nuclear strike drill in which the K-129 participated by providing coverage of Midway, i.e., be prepared for any eventuality that might arise over an invasion of Czechoslovakia including nuclear war.

Even after nearly 50 years, there should be recoverable information to confirm or refute this conjecture.