CAPTURE OF THE SOVIET TANKER 'TUAPSE': A HOSTAGE SWAP ENDGAME (COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EVENTS AND THE TRUE CAUSES OF THE INCIDENT)

The paper is a final piece of the three articles series, revealing a new eye-opening conception on true reasons and objectives of the “Tuapse” incident. The story of Soviet tanker Tuapse, captured by the ROC (Taiwan) Navy on June 23,1954 inopen seas nearTaiwanis widely covered in Russian and global mass media. The main events and dramatic story of the Tuapse crew are generally reconstructed, but the true reasons and aims of this incident remain an open question so far. This article, containing the comparative analyze of two incidents and multilateral politics at final stage of the related events (January August 1955), gives a final answer to this question. It presents a special interpretation of the events, leading to conclusion that the capture of Tuapse and its crew was nothing but a special CIA hostage swap operation, instrumental to negotiations on the release of 11 American airmen, imprisoned in PRC on January 12, 1953. As a result, the airmen were released on July 31, 1955, five days after the Tuapse seamen. The article is based on the US State Department and the CIA’s declassified archives, as well as the materials of the related Russian and international press.”.