Evening star., 1942-04-24

( hSAb oAlLFs aPlL Sr.-ROo
States bomber which raided ia
its way has been interned with
+ Province on the Sea of Japan.
/ 1t appeared to be an already com.
pleted test of the year-old JAP
anese- Russian neutrality pact, but
United States Embassy officials here
said Ambassador Admiral William
H. Standley had asked Washington
| for instructions.
The plane was said to have car
ried five men. one a captain. The
short dispatch announcing the in
terment said the airmen, losing
orientation, committed forced
landing on Soviet territory" Loss
of "orientation" was taken to mean
that the plane was trying to make
landing in China
tThe Japanese. identifying the
attackers as medium bombers.
carrying crews of five, had said
that apparently some planes few
on to China)
The only official account yet made
public was circulated by Tass, off,
cial Soviet news agency. under the
caption: Forced landing of Ameri-
can plane in Maritime Province. "
The full dispatch follows:
"Khabarovsk, April 22.-On April
Is on the territory of the Maritime
Province there landed an American
wafplane. As stated by the plane
crew the latter participated on the
same day In a raid by the American
Air Force on the japanese islands
and, losing orientation, committed
forced landing on Soviet terri
tory
According to common interna-
ties interned the American plane
and crew"
The dateline of the dispatch indi-
Gated the general locale of the
forced landing, although none was
specifically given. Khabarovsk is
about 1000 miles northwest of
Toxic and 400 miles due north of
the main port of the Maritime
Province, Vladivostok.
The United States Consul General
at Vladivostok, Angus Ward, was
handling affairs for the Americans
from that end.
The internment of the flyers Of
fered a delicate problem for the
Russians-how to treat a soldier
with whom you are allied on one
front (the German 'front.' when he
enters your territory on another
frontier in war against a nation
(Japan) with whom you are at peace.
There have been many cases in
which British and German flyers
came down in neutral Fire. The
Irish held that their position was
clearly dictated by international
law-the flyers were interned for the
duration. The indications in the
present Qncident were that Russia
likewise was following international
law to the letter.
(On April l3, only five days be-
fore the raid on Japan. the first
anniversary Of the RuSsian-Jap-
anese neutrality pact, the organ
of the Russian Communist party,
the newspaper Pravda, warned
Japanese militarists to hew to the
line of neutrality.
cit is necessary that the JAP
anese military and Fascist cliques
who are dizzy on military sue
cesses should understand that
their blabbering about war and
invasion in the north (the Mari
time province) might damage
first of all and most of all Japan
herself" Pravda's editorial saidD
Spokesman Eyasive.
Only Yesterday at his press con-
ference. the official Russian press
spokesman, S. A. Lozovsky, Vice
Commissar of Foreign Affairs, was
asked what the Russian position
would be il such landing, as is
now confirmed, were made on Rus
sian soil. Lozovsky replied:
"One can imagine dozens of sup.
positions. Let's wait until some
thing happens"
Asked what would happen in event
of a forced landing in the Moscow
region. the spokesman replied with
another question:
Why a forced landing if we have
good airdromes for American ano
British bombers?"
Pressed for an answer on the
position Of Russia on any landings
on Russian soil by planes of Ru.
Sla S Allies or planes of some powe,
with which Russia has a neutrality
pact Lozovsky answered:
The correspondent is inclined tn.
ward philosophic discussions. am
not"
Ambassador StandIey was at Mos.
COW Yesterday and was received b,
joseph Stain, in the presence o,
Forelgn Commissar vyacheslav Mol.
otov, several hours before Tass cir.