Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-26

airliner shot down by thu
Chinese.
Asked to comment on the
| downing of two Red Chinese
planes by American planes. Sir
Roger said:
These American aircraft were
attacked over the high seas. 50
naturally they responded"
Eisenhower Concurs.
At the White House. Press
Secretary James @. Hagerty told
reporters that President Essen
hover was fully informed on
the incident and concurred In
Secretary Dulles statement.
Mr.. Hagerty said the Presi-
dent had been kept In close
touch with the entire situation
since the British commercial
plane was shot down last week
and had conferred with Mr..
Dulles by telephone this morn
ing.
Asked how the President felt
about the situation, Mr.. Hagerty
said he would have to stand on
the statement by Mr.. Dulles that
this Government viii protest
vigorously.
Mr.. Hagerty disclosed that the
President received q phone call
dealing with the British airliner
incident while he was visiting his
farm home at Gettysburg. Pa,
Saturday. That call also was
from Mr.. Dulles.
Hornet Is One Of Carriers.
The aircraft carriers that were
dispatched TO the scene were the
27.000-ton Essex class Hornet
and Philippine Sea.
Mr.. Dulles did not say which
carrier sent up the planes which
shot down the Chinese Commu-
mist aircraft.
The announcement did not
identify the area of the shoot
ing, but the British airliner was
shot down some 80 miles south
of the Red-ruled island of Hal
nan.
At the Pentagon, Admiral
Felix b. Stump, Pacific Fleet
commander. said Navy flyers are
under standard orders to be
"quick on the trigger" II at
tackled.
The four-star admiral told q
news conference:
cit is standard policy that ii
any American military units are
attacked they are to fire back
and resist. They don't have to
wait for any one to knock their
heads off-thatf is true in peace
and war"
Admiral Stump also disclosed
that the two American carriers
involved in the shooting down OF
the Red planes are operating
directly under Admiral Robert
Carney. Chief of Naval Opera
lions. He said this setup, which
puts the carriers directly unde,
the control of the Joint Chiefs
Of Staff at the Pentagon, was
mot entirely routine"
The carriers, the admiral con-
tinued. were operating "well out
side" the limits of territory TN
der jurisdiction Of Red China
as prescribed by law.
| Admiral Stump explained thai
the carriers, the Hornet and the
Philippine Sea. had been en-
gagged in training maneuvers in
the Far East since April and Vice
Admiral w. K. Phillips, com.
mander Of the Southeast Asis
Defense Command. When the
British airiiner was shot dowr
they were ordered into the area
| to search for survivors. Nor
ma1ly the carriers operate out OF
San Diego. Admiral Stump said
Carriers i'm Asia Area.
Admiral Stump, whose head.
quarters are at Pearl Harbor
disclosed that there are foul
United States carriers in thu
Southeast Asia area. In add.
ton to the Philippine Sea ant
Hornet he named The Boxer anc
the Tarawa. soon to be replaced
by the Yorktown. He identified
the organization as Task Fore.
70.
Asked whether he thought tni.
force was strong enough to tax,
care Of itself" under any even.
tuality, the admiral said II thinl
So"
/ In reponse to another cues.
ton as to whether he thought
the Communists would be more
careful about plane incidents II
the future, Admiral Stump said
1T would hope 50 but / dom
know how much trouble they
want"
/ >Admira1 Stump said that Z