It would have been an entirely different outcome if they would have eliminated him.
I'm familiar with this story from a book I have about the submarine war off the east coast. I remember it talked about how much chest thumping the FBI did over it, (See, WE ARE ON THE JOB!)
It's in the attic or somewhere, and I don't remember the name of it!
The History Channel version had it that the guy who called the FBI was the leader of the Long Island group and thus made the call to let the coast guard guy live. BTW, as I remember it, the History Channel version the FBI brushed off the guy when her first called them and he had to go in in person?