Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-15
Kennedy Asks Policy Study
Of U. S. Aid to YugosIovio
BY the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
Criticism Of the sale of 1876
United States Sabrejet fighters
to Communist Yug oslavia
brought from administration
officials yesterday a report
that President Kennedy already
has ordered a review Of United
States aid to YugoSlavia.
These officials said the policy
review was ordered mediately
after the Belgrade Conference
of Nonaligned Countries early
last month. At that conference
Yugoslav President Tito made
a speech tending to support
Soviet policy.
The White House and State
Department also have been
irritated with Yugoslavia's
steady support Of the Soviet
line on East Germany.
Pending the policy review.
which Mr.. Kennedy ordered the
National Security Council to
undertake, officials said there
is little likelihood of any new
aid agreements being entered
into with YugoSlavia.
They said commitments all
ready made. however, will be
carried out.
Other Deliveries
In this connection it was dis
closed yesterday that deliveries
are still being made of 10 Navy
TV-2 aircraft sold to Yugoslavia
under a deal made in 1859.
State Department officials
who reported the TV-2 plane
sale did not give out any cost
figures, but presumably all OF
the planes have been paid for.
The TV-2 is a two-seated jet
trainer. a
Officials said the F-86D
Sabrejets, which were declared
surplus last year, were sold to
Tito for $4,000 each. Their
original cost was $343, 900
apiece.
Since direct military aid to
Yugoslavia was halted in 1857,
officials said the YugoslavS
have been buying military
items from this country on a
cash or short-term credit basis.
The State Department said
the Sabrejet purchase agree
ment was completed last Janu-
airy Is, five days before Mr..
Kennedy succeeded Dwight D.
Eisenhower as President. Mr..
Kennedy could have Cancelled
the contract, but chose to let
it stand.
Officials said they believed
all the Sabrejets had been de-
livered and paid for by now.
Still outstanding as part OF
this deal was an agreement to
train eight Yugoslav air force
men in this country. Four OF
these are now being trained as
pilots and four as maintenance
men at Perrin Air Force Base,
Texas. The Pentagon said three
? Yugoslavs also will receive
training at Lowry Air Force
Base in Colorado.
/. Disclosure OF the Sabrejet-
/: training deal brought sharp
criticism from some Congress
members. Representative Pass
man, Democrat Of Louisiana,
said the transaction borders
on treason; Senator Tower.
Republican Of Texas, said the
: Yugoslav airmen should be sent
home and all aid to Tito halted,
and Senator jackson, Demo-
: crat of Washington. said the
/. ARRANGEMENT should be can
F; celed because of Tito's stand at
+! the Belgrade conference.
But Senator Monroney, DEM
ocrat of Oklahoma, defended
the sale Of the planes, calling
! it "a calculated risk"
I'VE must keep probing to
| find a crack in the Iron Cur
TAIN" he said. mo one knows
| what Marshal Tito would do in
case of a shooting war over
Berlin. Tito can't be depended
upon by either Russia or the
United States"
Support Explained
At his news conference last
Wednesday, Mr.. Kennedy en-