Evening star., 1953-03-15
Polish Flyer Denies
Americans Helped
Arrange MIG Theft
BY the Associofed Press

BY the AsSocioted Press
HAGERSTOWN, Md, Mar. IA.
Two Marylanders said today
their project for stealing a top
secret Russian MIG-15 from Po-
land was strictly private enter
prise.
But in Copenhagen. the For
eign Office quoted Franciszek
JarewSki. 21-year-old flyer, as
denying his flight to the islond
of Bornholm last week with
M1G-15 was organized by Amer
leans.
He firmly maintains he car
ried out his flight on his own in
itiative." said the Danish For
eign Office. HE absolutely denies
having had anything whatever
to do with Western circles be-
fore his f1:~ht.
Calls Story Nonsense.
Danish Fore, On Minister Ole
Bjoern Kraft insisted that the
young Polish pilot was bona
f1de refugee. Mi. K.aft said
the Americans story was utter
and foo iSt n9nsense" which
may have done the pilot great
harm
"They have, succeeded in
spreading doubt about his status
as a bona fide political refugee"
he said. Their fantastic tale
may provide Godsend sargu-
ment for the Polish government,
which may now demand that he
be handed back as theft and
a spy"
Mr.. Kraft, however, did not
deny that group of Americans
may have been trying to get
hold of a MIG, and may have
had contacts in the Polish air
force.
,.llliam Preston Lane, IT., ,
foi mer Maryland Governor, who !
acknowledge cd last night he had
helped f1~,lc2 a plcn to captu4e
q r1Ii- sid today he could
l. It c~,l2-i-rt on the st--ement
1.om C~pcnhagcn.
OSS Man A.eadS Plot.
Col. Ulius (Pete) Amoss, for
mer head of the East Europe
division of the Office of Stra-
tegic Services, was described by
Mr.. Lane as the head of the plan.
Col. Amoss, former deputy
chief of staff of the 9th Air
Force in World War II, also re-
fused to be quoted on the Polish
flyers remarks.
However, one of the men who
has been in the organization for
more than two years. said it was
a big mistake to let the story
get out at all.
The Polish pilot sis trying to
protect the peole who helped
him and can't be blamed for
denying the story" he added.
You can imagine the hunt
that's going on now" he said.
Anyway you look at it (the
f1ight) is going to complicate
matters for the poor devils be-
hind the curtain" he said,
Both Mr.. Lane and Col. AmoSS
have been hesitant to talk for
security reasons since the
story started leaking out. They
have been stressing that they
did not consult the United
States Government or ask its
aid in the plan.
Idea Hatched 2 Years Ago.
They indicated the payoff was
when Mr.. JarewSki landed on
Bornholm with the first MIG-15
to fall intact into the hands OF
the Western powers.
Mr.. Lane confirmed the part
he and his associates played last
night after the story started
leaking out.
Col. AmoSs suggested more
than two years ago it might be
possible to get a MIG out from
behind the Iron Curtain. The
Government does not finance
projects such as Col. Amoss had
in mind and he put it up to
officials of the Fairchild Engine
g. Airplane Corp. at Hagerstown.
Mr.. Lane. a member OF the
Fairchild board, Joined with
Richard S. Boutelle, president Of
Fairchild. and Arthur F. Flood,
executive vice president, in
financing the scheme. 1t was re-
ported Fairchild put up about
$500.
According to sources here, two
men Col. AmoSs enlisted in the
cloak and dagger project lost
their lives in the early phase.
before operatives could reach
through the Iron Curtain into
Poland and perfect the arrange
ment with Mr.. Jarewski.
Yesterday Col. Amoss told re-
porters that he had put money
of his own into the venture.
though he refused to say how
much.
when I started to run out Of