Evening star., 1960-05-05
REPORT
REPORT
u. S. Envoy Quizzing
Reds on Pilots Fote
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Continued From First Page
were missing in the border area
where this one disappeared.
Mr.. Khrushchev had told In
an address to the Soviet Parlia-
ment Of the shooting down of
what he called a United States
military craft.
Mr.. Eisenhower was meeting
with the National Security
Council when word came Of
Mr.. Khrushchev's speech.
James c. Hagerty, presiden-
tial press secretary, announced
the President and council had
ordered an inquiry into the
story Of the plane.
1t was a report on this in
quiry which Mr.. White gave
to newsmen at the State De-
partment.
Mr.. White said that no pre-
test had been received FROM
the Soviet government over the
incident.
Mr.. Khrushchev had called
the alleged violation of Soviet
air space an aggressive act and
said the Soviet Union would
complain to the United Nations
Security Council.
Except for Mr.. Eisenhower's
ordering the inquiry into the
plane incident, there was no
report on the Presidents re-
action to Mr.. Khrushchev's
tough speech.
At the Capitol, meanwhile,
Congress members were quick
with angry reaction to word Of
the downing Of another Ameri-
can plane.
Senate Democratic Leader
johnson speculated that Mr..
Khrushchev may be simply
using this as an incident to
apply leverage for the coming
summit meeting"
i Other comment at the Capt.
tol ranged up to suggestions
that Mr.. Khrushchev's an
nouncement. and the truculent
tone of other parts of his
speech, make it inadvisable for
President Eisenhower to 60 to
the summit at all.
Some Criticize Flight
At the other end Of the scale
were criticism of the circum-
stances Of the American fight
itself, and arguments that no
matter what provocations the
Soviets offer, the effort to
achieve peace at the summit
meeting in Paris May Is must
go on.
About the only thing all the
comments had in common was
a tone of outrage.
The White House said Mr..
Eisenhower was unaware. of
the Khrushchev speech when
he left for the NSC meeting,
and the Security Council move
had nothing to do with it.
The Security Council meeting
was held at a secret command
post outside Washington.
Mr.. Eisenhower and the
NSC, the top strategy-planning
agency of the Government,
went to the hideaway as part
of an annual civil defense
exercise to get ready for any
possible war emergency.
A search has been going on
in the Lake Van area of
Southeast Turkey since Sun
day morning for the missing
plane.
The National Aeronautics
and Space Administration de-
scribed the plane as a research
craft with the task of studying
clear air turbulence, winds and
jet stream effects at extreme
attitudes. It's flight was part
Of an operation going on
around the world since 1856.
The plane is designated the
U-2 and is operated by Lock-
heed Aircraft Corp. and under
a NASA contract.
It is one of type capable
of extended flight at attitudes
between $4,000 and $4,000 feet
and capable Of speeds up to 10
per cent of the speed of sound.
NASA described it as a
straight-wing. single-engine jet
craft, originally designed for
use as a hlgh-altitude test We
hicle. 1t has a 90-foot wing
span and is IS feet in length.
| A NASA spokesman said
figures on the cost and past
service of the particular U-2
which may have been shot
down are not Immediately
available.
Mother Under Treatment
! A Lockheed spokesman,
Vernon johnson, said the
identity of the pilot would not
be released now because of an
illness in the family.
Mr.. johnson said the family