Friends of the Library Event

World-class alpinist, journalist and Friend of the Library member, Pete Takeda, unearths the terrifying legacy of the Cold War's most daring CIA operation in his award-winning book, An Eye at the Top of the World.

Pete's book is a true story involving Cold War intrigue in the remotest part of the Himalayas and a deadly poison that could potentially be unleashed upon millions of people. This is an event that will appeal to history buffs, mountain climbers, and James Bond fans alike.

When and Where:
Thursday, July 24
7:00PM
The American Alpine Club Library
710 Tenth Street, Suite 15
Golden, CO 80401


About the Book:
In the mid-1960s, with the goal of gathering intelligence on China, the CIA undertook secret climbing expeditions to Uttarakhand, India to put a nuclear-powered spy device on top of Nanda Devi -- one of the most remote and forbidden peaks in the Himalaya.

The plutonium-powered spy device was abandoned high on the mountain as an oncoming storm approached. The device was lost in an avalanche and never recovered. Now, nearly four pounds of plutonium are locked in the glacier beneath the Nanda Devi and is threatening to poison the Ganges, one of the largest rivers in the world, which flows into the heavily populated region of Northern India.

Pete will retrace the account of his 2005 expedition to climb 22,000 foot Nanda Kot - a journey in which he attempted to retrace the footsteps of the failed 1965 CIA expedition described in his book. It is a fascinating story and Pete used the AAC Library extensively to research his book.

Event Details:
Admission is free to Friends of the Library members and $10.00 for regular AAC and CMC members, as well as the general public. Proceeds from the event will be contributed toward the National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant the Library is applying for. You can also make an additional donation to the library online (please indicate that your gift be applied toward the grant).

Please RSVP to Gary Landeck at glandeck@AmericanAlpineClub.org or (303) 951-4564 by July 22.

We look forward to seeing you there!