Kissinger reports the decision to interrupt and cancel the MATADOR project, which, continuing the work begun by Project Azorian (the recovery of the Soviet submarine K-129), promised to recover what remained on the seabed. The Hughes Glomar Explorer had already been modified, upgraded, and tested, and was ready to return to the site. But the press’s revelation of the project had alerted the Soviets, who were now stationing naval forces at K-129’s location constantly. The Soviets did not protest further officially, because, as it became known after 1991, a secret agreement was reached to downplay the matter, which caused embarrassment to the Russians for having lost their own submarine, failed to report it, been unable to find or recover it, and then allowed the Americans to do so under their noses.
