Evening star., 1948-11-06
|Deserter From Israeli Air Force
Tells More of Red Supply Line
Account Given to U.N.
Charges Floeront
Violations of Truce
By Not A. Sorrows
Foreign corrsspondsnt Of The siar ond
the chleaae Dolly News

By Not A. Borrows
Foreign Correspondent Of The star end
the eh'ease Dolly News
Copyright. 1s4s. chicaso Daily News.)
PARIS, Nov. 6.-Here for the
first time in print is the inside
story of the reckless adventures
who fly Israeli guns, ammunition
and disassembled fighter planes
from Communist dominated
Czechoslovakia into Palestine.
It Is another part OF the sensa-
tional story revealed to the world
Yesterday by Homer Metz of the
Christian Science Monitor and my
selt-relating one Israeli air force
deSerters account of the secret
Russian-sponsored aerial supply line
for Israeli military units.
From the lips of the deserter him.
self, we have heard how devil-may.
care pilots and mechanics originally
enlist in the Israeli air force, how
they live dangerously and recklessly
inside the air force, how they en-.
gage in private smuggling racket.
of drugs and guns.
BY any token it is an incredible
tale of wild adventure, intrigue anl
outright defiance OF the United Ma.
tions' truce provisions for Palestine
Submitted to Bunche.
This particular deserter, Mr.. x
has submitted his allegations, In q
signed document, to DR.. Ralph J
Bunche, acting u. N. mediator, ano
furthermore has told his story tc
intelligence agents OF the American
Embassy.
But Mr.. Metz and I know con.
clusively that at least four other
former Israeli Air Force flyers have
recently "baled out" and unbur.
dened themselves to intelligence
agents of three different Western
nations.
Mr.. KS, statement, now a closely
guarded document in DR.. Bunche's
files, Is only one such document
along the same lines turned over
to the y. N. by two major Western
powers.
The system for getting into the
Israeli Air Force. according to Mr.
X, is simple enough:
A prospective pilot or mechanic
sees an advertisement discreetly
placed In European newspapers OF
picks up word from some agent. He
makes direct contact with agents
in major cities such as New York
Paris, Rome, and his flying record
or experience as q mechanic Is re-
viewed.
Some Sent TO Rome Area.
Some of the adventurers are sent
to an airfield near Rome, some &c
directly to Prague, the northern
headquarters of the supply line.
A man known as DR.. Felix is the
chief contact in Czechoslovakia
According to Mr.. x, this DR.. Felix
has the closest contacts with the
Skoda arms factory, which is turn
ing out Messerschmitt 109s for Is
raeli use.
DR.. Felix is the principal contact
man with the Russians for sending
along men being trained in jet-pro-
pulsion flying and in parachute
jumping somewhere in Russia" and
elsewhere behind the iron curtain
Specified hotels in Czechoslovakia
Israel and elsewhere are practically
taken over by the Israelis for use
Of flying crews.
In Prague, for instance, the Hotel
Flora is headquarters for airmen on
the shuttle route.
Crews received personal mail as
well as instructions from the
Israeli Air Force by a devious system
Of post Offices" throughout Europe
Passports Taken Up.
Two addresses of private citizens
in Geneva, Switzerland, are one
link in this Israeli Air Force COM
munications system.
A business address in LichtenStein
is another key post once.
Other addresses include q regular
post Office box number in Tel Aviv
and an important motel in Paris
not far from the Champs Elysees.
A company manufacturing baby
carriages in one European country
also serves as post office'-and
more.
1t is a general rule to take up
individual passports of pilots and
mechanics once they arrive in Pal
Iestine.
This, according to Mr.. X, has the
double purpose of discouraging de-
sertions and providing the Israeli
air force with extra passports In
case an individual Is killed in an
air crash or otherwise.
Mr.. KS testimony, in the docu-
ment locked up at the Paris head
quarters of the U. N, alleges that
one dissenting pilot flying for the
Isfaelis was bumped of "mySteri-
ously" because he disobeyed orders
His family was told, according to
Mr.. x, that he died in an airplane
accident.
Landings Early i'm Morning.
From his own experience, over
many months, Mr.. x says that trans
port planes flying into Israel from
Czechoslovakia take their radio
bearings from a crossfix of Cyprus
Athens and Ankara.
Onlv at the last moment are radio