Globemaster Down: Soviet Espionage and the Doomed American Attempt to Sneak Nukes Into Europe

Just in time for the 75th anniversary comes the first book-length investigation into one of the great unsolved mysteries from the early days of the Cold War, when an American cargo plane allegedly carrying an atomic bomb over the Atlantic Ocean disappeared, along with the U.S. military and nuclear specialists on board.

Pulitzer Prize-winning war reporter Tod Robberson examines this shocking true story from the early days of the Cold War and the origins of the ongoing, icy relationship between the United States and Russia.

1951. The Cold War is heating up. With Soviet troops amassing across Eastern Europe and the arrests of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for spilling nuclear secrets, President Harry Truman assigned General Curtis LeMay the task of installing nuclear forces in Britain. On March 22, a massive C-124 Globemaster cargo plane--possibly carrying a "Fat Man" bomb--was dispatched to Britain with 53 passengers and crew including elite specialists in atomic warfare. Then tragedy struck . . .

The Globemaster never reached its destination. After radio communications ceased over the Atlantic, the plane took a sudden turn, flew hundreds of miles, and was ditched. Survivors disappeared before they could be rescued.

Was this the work of Soviet saboteurs? Was the mission compromised from the very start? And is a "broken arrow" bomb still lying on the bottom of the ocean? These are just a few of the questions that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tod Robberson attempts to answer in the first-ever in-depth investigation into this yet-unsolved mystery.

Drawing from classified archives and personal accounts, Robberson reconstructs LeMay's mission in riveting detail, exploring possible security leaks including a brigadier general whose bigamy may have compromised the top-secret mission. Meticulously researched and brilliantly told, Globemaster Down tells the fascinating story of two global superpowers in a reckless race toward the brink of nuclear disaster. A must-read for fans of military adventure, Cold War intrigue, and world-class espionage.

Author: Tod Robberson
Publisher: Citadel Press
Published: 03/31/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.26lbs
Size: 9.25h x 6.44w x 1.32d
ISBN: 9780806544601


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026

About the Author
Tod Robberson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who spent four decades as a reporter, bureau chief, correspondent, and editor for various news organizations including The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ESPN, and Reuters. He has lived in London, Panama, Mexico, Cyprus, El Salvador, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, and holds a master's degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He has covered wars throughout Latin America, the Middle East, and Afghanistan, and has provided guest commentary for CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Sky News, and Telemundo.