Evening star., 1960-05-26

WIESBADEN. Germany, May
rs 1AP).-Six Soviet MIG jets
fired machine gun bursts to
force United States Air Force
transport plane to land in East
Germany last Friday. Then
the Russians went out of their
way to make the nine Ameri-
cans aboard comfortable.
The Russians helped us out
in any way they could for our
comfort" the pilot of the Cat,
Capt. James Lundy of Findlay,
Ohio. told a news conference
today.
Russian interrogators only
casually mentioned the U-2
spy plane, the incident that has
plunged United States-Soviet
relations to a new low Capt.
Lundy said. At no time did
the Russians try to connect
the U-2 incident with the CAT,
he added.
Capt. Lundy. grounded by
the Air Force after his return,
blamed false wind information
for straying into East Germany.
Not Hit by Fire
There was no indication
that we were off course until
the MICS appeared" Capt.
Lundy said. There was no
doubt in my mind but that
they wanted us to land"
The machine gun fire did not
hit the CAT.
The other eight Americans
reported food and treatment
good. Put up at Soviet head
quarters, the men played vol
leyhall with the Russians. The
one woman passenger was vis-
tied by a Soviet officers wife.
The CAT and its crew of six
and three passengers reached
Wiesbaden last night after the
Russians allowed the plane to
take of from the muddy field
where it landed.
The battered old Air Force
CAY with eight men and a
woman aboard strayed % miles
into East Germany while on a
flight from Copenhagen to
Hamburg. The Russians re-
leased the plane and the nine
Americans Tuesday but bad
weather prevented their flying
to the west until last night.
Violation Charged
The Air Force, in grounding
the 41-year-old pilot for inves-
tigation, said he clearly had
violated pertinent flying direc-
tions."
Capt. Lundy blamed the
false wind report for his get
ting of course and said that
he %realized, when the Rus
sian fighters appeared, that he
had .Strayed over Communist
territory.
The pilot said weathermen ir
Copenhagen reported an east
erly wind but it actually wa.
blowing from the west. He
said the weather was good with
visibility of S miles as his twin.
engine plane flew over the
north German coast. He addec
there were some thunderstorm.
but they presented no problem
OF his grounding, Capt
Lundy said he expected the in.
vestigation-"it is routine ir
the Air Force on occasions like
this" He said, however, thai
as far as he knew, he did moi
violate any flying procedures.
In my opinion. he added
everything was satisfactory.
Landed in "Sod" Field
Capt. Lundy said he landed
his plane in sod" field abou
IS miles north of the East Ger
man town of Grevesmuehlen.
Il don't know whether i
. was. a pasture or a cropped
field" he continued. TN
afraid I'm not a farmer"
AS soon as the plane bumped
over the field and came to 1
stop, Capt. Lundy went on. tn,
five crewmen and four passen
gers jumped out and waiteC
for about five minutes, unit
East German police arrived.
The East Germans searched
all except the woman passen
ger, Mrs. Barbara A. McCaSl
Of Atlanta, Ga, who was on {
leave trip with her doctor hus
band, Capt. Paul K. McCash.
Some time later, Capt. Lundy
as the pilot, was taken alone b,
Russian troops and was ques
toned for about four hours
The other Americans wer
taken to Soviet headquarter