Evening star., 1952-10-17
ii. ). Protests
Soviet Attack
|0n Bomber
Sharp Note Rejects
| Red Claim Thut B-2o
Violated Frontier
By Gornett D. Horner

The United States today
charged Russia with the "wanton
and unJustif1able" shooting down
of an unarmed American B-29
bomber over Japanese waters last
week and demanded appropriate
compensation.
In a strong protest delivered in
Moscow. the United States also
warned that Russia should con-
slider "the grave consequences
which can flow from its reckless
practice" of attacking planes of
other nations without provocation.
The American note rejected as
without foundation in fact" a
Soviet protest charging that the
B-29 violated Russian territory
and opened fire on two Soviet
fighter planes.
The B-29 disappeared with a
crew of eight on a routine fight
on October 7.
Disclosing a possibility that at
least some of the crew might be
alive in Russian hands, the Amer
ican note asked the Russians for
an immediate report on the re-
suits Of search believed to have
been carried out by a Soviet patrol
boat after disappearance of the
B-29. The Russians were asked
flor full information on the
whereabouts and welfare of any
crew members who may have sur
Ivived with view to their prompt
repatriation to the United States"
Text of U. S Note.
The text of the note delivered
to the Soviet Foreign Affairs Min
Iistry by the American Embassy
in Moscow and made public by the
State Department here today fol-
lows:
'The Embassy Of the United
States of America acknowledges
the receipt of the ministry's note
tof October IL. 1852, and upon
instruction from it's Government
states the following:
I'm its note, the ministry as
serts that on October Z, 1862, at
approximately Is hours 80 min
utes Vladivostok time a United
States ,B-29 bomber aircraft vio-
lated the state frontier OF the So.
Wet Union in the area of Yuri Is
land, that this aircraft opened fire
on two Soviet fighter planes, and
that the Soviet fighter planes then
returned fire after which the
Unied States aircraft went of in
the direction of the sea.
'The American aircraft referred
to in the ministry's note was a
United States Air Force plane with
a crew of eight officers and men on
a routine flight over Japan from
which it did not return. The plane
was not equipped for combat op-
lerations of any kind. It carried
no bombs and its guns were inop-
erative. It's officers were under
explicit instructions to remain
within japanese territory at all
times.
Violation Denied.
"A thorough investigation by
United States authorities has es-
tablished that the United States
Air Force plane did not, as alleged,
violate any Soviet state frontier
and that 1t did not at any time fly
over Yuri Island. In fact, the
radar plot of the tracks of the
United States and Soviet aircraft
shows conclusively that the inter-
ception by the Soviet fighter air.
craft occurred 80 miles from Yuri
Island and approximately 6 miles
from the island of Hokkaido
(Japan).
Moreover the question of a vio-
lation Of the Soviet state frontier
could not arise in any case since
the island of Yuri is not Soviet ter.
ritory, but as an island of the
Fdabomai group is Japanese terri
tory under Japanese sovereignty.
by its calculated misrepresen-
tation of the facts of this incident
the Soviet government has sought.
not for the first time, to evade
responsibility for a wanton and
unjustifiable attack carried out
on an undefended plane by fighter
(See B-29, Page A-3.)