01.07.2014 Views

American Cryptology during the Cold War - The Black Vault

American Cryptology during the Cold War - The Black Vault

American Cryptology during the Cold War - The Black Vault

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

PBS<br />

CONVERSATION<br />

[pilot billet suffix]<br />

582<br />

201 to 218<br />

201<br />

201<br />

201<br />

218<br />

[missing]<br />

[missing]<br />

[missing]<br />

[missing]<br />

[missing]<br />

<strong>The</strong> target is a large one.... Roger<br />

Attack! Attack! 218, attack.<br />

I am attacking <strong>the</strong> target<br />

Target speed is 3000, I am flying with it.<br />

It is turning toward <strong>the</strong> fence [Le., border].<br />

<strong>The</strong> target is banking.. " Itis going<br />

toward <strong>the</strong> fence. Attack!<br />

Yes, yes, I am attacking.<br />

<strong>The</strong> target is burning....<br />

<strong>The</strong> tail assembly (b% is falling oro <strong>the</strong><br />

target.<br />

Look at him, he will not get away, he is<br />

already falling.<br />

Yes, he is falling (b% I will finish him off)<br />

on <strong>the</strong> run.<br />

<strong>The</strong> target has lost control, it is going<br />

down.<br />

A crew of seventeen men, including eleven USAFSS airmen and a front-end crew of six,<br />

was lost.<br />

In October <strong>the</strong> Soviets produced <strong>the</strong> bodies of <strong>the</strong> six members of <strong>the</strong> front-end crew,<br />

but <strong>the</strong> bodies of <strong>the</strong> eleven USAFSS airmen were never turned over; and this strange<br />

circumstance produced a spate of conspiracy <strong>the</strong>ories regarding <strong>the</strong> possible capture and<br />

long-term incarceration, not to mention forceable interrogation, of <strong>the</strong> COMINT crew. <strong>The</strong><br />

evidence of <strong>the</strong> voice tapes makes it quite clear that no one could have escaped <strong>the</strong> fiery<br />

crash in a mountainous region of<strong>the</strong> Caucasus, but what happened to <strong>the</strong> bodies remains a<br />

mystery to this day.ls5<br />

In November, after more than two months of Soviet "stonewalling," Deputy Under<br />

Secretary of State Robert Murphy summoned Soviet ambassador Mikhail Menshikov to<br />

his office, told him he had <strong>the</strong> voice tapes of <strong>the</strong> shootdown, and said he would play <strong>the</strong>m<br />

immediately. Menshikov declared that he was not a technician and walked out of <strong>the</strong><br />

office. In January of <strong>the</strong> following year, Vice President Nixon and Secretary of State<br />

Ib\f'fBLfi:l VIA 'fALfi:lfff Kfi:lYIISLfi:l e8MIU'f' e8N'f'ft8L SYS'f'fi:lMS

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!