Evening star., 1950-04-19
The Baltic Incident

On April United States Navy plane-a
Privateer, modified version of the B-24-van-
ished somewhere in the Baltic area. On April
II the Kremln heatedly protested to our Ambas-
Sador that on that date april 81 an American
B,29 Superfortress had flown over restricted Rus
sian-occupied territory; that it had opened fire
on Soviet fighters after the latter had ordered
it to land; that thereupon one of the fighters
fired back; and that then our big bomber headed
out over the sea and disappeared.
And now we have the State Departments
story In effect, as told in the note replying to
the Soviet protest, 1t Is story that indicts the
Kremlin for resorting to colossal lie, being guilty
Of gross international lawleSsness, and COM
mitting shocking crime against humanity. For
the note categoricaly makes the following points:
Cd That all our military aviation operates under
rigid orders not to fly over restricted foreign
territory or adjacent waters; (0 that the only
American plane in the Baltic region on April
was the Navy Privateer; go that 1t had ten men
aboard and was wholly unarmed; a. that care
full investigation has convinced our authorities
that it made no fight over Russian or Russian
controlled areas; and (5) that the United States
must therefore conclude that the Red Air Force
cold-boodedly shot down this totally defenseless
aircraft, over the open and unrestricted sea- in
manner violating "the most elementary rules
of peaceful conduct between nations"
Our note does not say just how the United
States has been able to convince itself that the
Navy Privateer could not have strayed over for
hidden territory and possibly ignored or failed
to observe orders to land. But the State Depart
ment evidently is certain that it has stated
the facts correctly, for it has demanded, in
challenging language, that "the Soviet govern
ment institute prompt and thorough investiga-
ton of this matter" in order to prove to its own
satisfaction that our position Is the true one.
Beyond that the department has demanded that
the Red Air Force be given the StricteSt inStruc-
tions to guard against all such war-breeding
incidents in the future, and it has gone on to
assert that it "confdenty expects" the Russian
authorities, after they have completed their
inquiries, to express their regret severely punish
the aviators responsible, and "pay appropriate
indemnity for the unprovoked destruction of
American lives and property"
Actually of course. nobody confidently ex-
poets" any of these things. Diplomatic language
must be more or less polite even when 1t deals
with events that infuriate. The State Depart
ment's real feelings have been better expressed
by the blunter words 1t has used In the press
statement accompanying its formal note-words
emphasizing that here again we have another
example of how the conduct of the Soviet
dictatorship Shows clearly the inSincerity of its
oft-proclained desire for peaceful relations with
the United States" 1t need hardly be added that
the American people, though they are not going
to war over it, will remember this incident for
long, long time, and with a bitterness that will
do the Kremlin no good whatever in the long run.