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American Cryptology during the Cold War - The Black Vault

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Dulles protested <strong>the</strong> SOviet attitude on <strong>the</strong> shootdown to First Deputy Chairman of <strong>the</strong><br />

Council of Ministers Anastas Mikoyan, but <strong>the</strong>ir representations were again brushed<br />

aside. Out ofpatience, <strong>the</strong> administration on 5 February released copies of<strong>the</strong> tape to <strong>the</strong><br />

New York Times, which published <strong>the</strong>m on page one. This deliberate leak of COMINT had<br />

already been placed before USCIB, which had concurred, as had <strong>the</strong> British. 136<br />

<strong>The</strong> downing of <strong>the</strong> RC-130 had immediate and serious consequences. USAFE<br />

grounded <strong>the</strong> entire RC-130 fleet, and Headquarters USAF requested a complete review of<br />

<strong>the</strong> ACRP program worldwide. USAFSS produced statistics designed to prove <strong>the</strong><br />

effectiveness of <strong>the</strong> program when compared with ground collection sites, and by mid­<br />

October <strong>the</strong> flight ban had been lifted. As part ofits review, USAFSS also investigated <strong>the</strong><br />

possibility that <strong>the</strong> aircraft was meaconed (intentionally lured over <strong>the</strong> border) by Soviet<br />

navigational facilities. This possibility added to <strong>the</strong> conspiracy <strong>the</strong>ories surrounding <strong>the</strong><br />

fate of <strong>the</strong> RC-130, but it was largely contradicted by <strong>the</strong> internal evidence of <strong>the</strong> study<br />

which showed that three navigational beacons in <strong>the</strong> area, two of <strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> Soviet<br />

Union, were all operating on virtually <strong>the</strong> same frequency. Thus, <strong>the</strong> aircraft very likely<br />

homed on <strong>the</strong> wrong beacon and pulled itselfoff course. 137 Although President Eisenhower<br />

himself believed it to have been a deliberate meaconing incident, it was more likely a<br />

navigational error on <strong>the</strong> part of<strong>the</strong> SAC crew.<br />

Advisory <strong>War</strong>ning Is Implemented<br />

<strong>The</strong> downing of <strong>the</strong> RC-130 decided <strong>the</strong> advisory warning issue. USAFSS gave its<br />

units immediate authorization to man <strong>the</strong> heretofore unmanned manual Morse position<br />

aboard <strong>the</strong> RC-130s for internal advisory warning. And <strong>the</strong> long-stalled plans for <strong>the</strong><br />

provision of warningl<br />

Igot untracked. By 1961 USAFSS and<br />

SAC had implemented a limited advisory warning progr~IIl~<br />

rpplying to<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir own reconnaissance aircraft. In 1963 this wastnerged into a national program<br />

encompassing all peripheral reconnaissance air

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