Evening star., 1953-09-24
US. Will Return
Red MIG-15to
Rightfu| Owner
AT HoIts Flight of
Jet to Ohio, Cancels
Offer Of Bounty
By John A. Giles

Oy JOHH ~ SHSS
The United States, apparently
as a result of U. N. pressure, to-
day offered to return to its
"rightful owner" the MIG-15 jet
fighter flown into Kimpo airport,
Korea. Sunday by North Ko-
rean pilot.
The Air Force. which had
quickly disasSembled the Rus
sian-built craft and loaded it
aboard a CHA Globemaster with
the intention of delivering it to
technicians at Dayton, Ohio,
stopped the giant transport on a
Pacific island.
The decision was tied in close
ly with the delicate Korean peace
talks. Other U. N. nations who
participated in the war, extreme
ly anxious not to make any move
to upset a possible Far East
settlement, were said to have
made a point of the fact the
plane was turned over to the
U. N. command and not the
United States Air Force.
Bounty Offer Withdrawn.
Bearing this out was an an
nouncement that the offer to
pay $4,000 for MICS delivered
to the West was being with
drawn for the duration of the
Neace talks. =.
The order to halt the flight of
the CHA carrying the MIG
fighter was dispatched from the
Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday.
The decision as to future ac-
ton with reference to enemy
craft delivered into our hands
was dispatched to Gen. Mark
Clark, U.N. Far East COM
mander, by the chiefs yesterday
after a day-long discussion of
the matter with the State De-
partment and the Psychological
Strategy Board.
The statement about return of
the MIG gave no indication, nor
would spokesman indicate, who
might be considered it's right
full owner"
Nor did the Clark statement,
issued simultaneously in Tokyo
and at the Pentagon. have any
thing to say directly about pay.
ment to the Korean Communist
who delivered the MIG. How
ever, Pentagon officials noted
there was nothing in the state
ment to make it retroactive. The
pilot would receive $4,000 for
the plane and another $4,000
bonus as the first to take up the
United States offer.
u. S. Policy Unchanged.
The statement said:
"The traditional policy of the
United States of America to
grant asylum to those seeking
freedom remains unchanged.
However, during this period
of armistice discussions the Of
fer by the Far East Command
on % April, 1853, to award
$4,000 for undamaged MICS
brought to our side is with
drawn.
when the rightful ownership
of the MIG that recently landed
at Kimpo has been established
we will offer to turn it over to
that owner"
AS yet neither the Peiping
radio. which generally voiced
the sentiments of the Reds dur
ing the prolonged military truce
discussions, nor any other Com
munist- source, has made any
demand for return of the plane
as far as is known here.
U. S. Wants to Test Craft.
The Air Force wants the craft
brought back to the United
States for tests and evaluation.
It was with this in mind that Air
officials in the Far East moved
into high gear to bring it back
to this country when it landed
at Kimpo, near Seoul.
"Out of A. F. Hands,"
In Tokyo, an Air Force Spokes-
man said he did not know how
"rightful" ownership of the
plane would be determined.
The spokesman had no COM
ment when asked if the when
rightful ownership has been es-
tablished" phrase was a delay
ing" statement which would give
the United States time to exam
inc and test the MIG before
deciding to whom it would be
returned. However, it was
assumed at Air Force headquar-
ters here that Far East tech
nicians had thoroughly examined
the craft before loading it
aboard the C-124. In fact, a
Pentagon spokesman commented
the Far East Air Force had done
an excellent" job there.