HON. LARRY Mcdonald
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19312 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS June 15, 1977 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS STILL MORE INFORMATION OF fighters o1f Hokkaido on October 7, 1952 and which came down 1n the Baltic Sea area on AMERICAN AIRMEN POSSmLY the B-50 destroyed by Soviet fighters over April 8, 1960. The United States Govenunent HELD IN U.S.S.R.! the Sea of Japan on J.uly 29, 1953. This De has since that time received reports that partment, however, made ·to specl.f1c inquiry various members o! the crew of this Unl ted with respect to the detention of survivors of States aircraft were, and are, detained in HON. LARRY McDONALD the United States Na'Vy Privateer shot down Soviet detention places in the Far Eastern by Soviet fighters over the Baltic Sea on area of the Soviet Union. In particular, it 1e OJ' GEORGIA AprU 8, 1950, nor with respect to the B-29 informed, and believes, that in 1950 and in IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES missing over the area of the Sea of Japan October, 1953 at least one American mmtary Wednesday, June 15, 1977 on June 13, 1952; nor has it made specific aviation person, belleved to be a member of representations with respect to the reported the crew of this United States Navy Privateer, Mr. McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, in detention of United States aviation person was held 8lt Camp No. 20 allegedly near Tai 1975, on two previous occasions I in nel who may have come into Soviet custody shet, and Collective Farm No. 25, approxi serted in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD during the Korean hostillties. There have mately 54 kilometers from Taishet, said to be items on the missing crewmen of a U.S. been reports mentioned in the communica under sentence for alleged espionage. This tions under reference, from Amarican, Jap American national was described as having plane shot down by the Soviet Union in anese and other sources indicating specif the Baltic in 1950. These two items are suffered burns on the !ace and legs in the ically the detention of American aviation crash o! his aircraft and using crutches or found on pages 34535-34536 of the personnel since 1949 and the possibtlity that a cane. October 30, 1975 REcoRD and on page among them are included crew members of Reports have been received from former 35011 of the November 4, 1975 CoN such lost or destroyed aircraft. The Embassies prisoners ot the Soviet Government at Vor GRESSIONAL RECORD. At numerous times are, of course, aware of the widely publicized kuta th81t in September, 1950 as many as allegations of the repatriate, Jolin Noble, eight American nationals, believed to be information has come out of the U.S.S.R. which have been corroborated in part by from persons who were in the forced other repatriates, concerning the Navy Prl· members of the crew of the United States labor camps that these and other Ameri vateer crew. It is believed that the informa Navy Privateer to which reference 1s made, cans were still being held in the U.S.S.R. tion may be specific enough to justify a de had been seen ln the Area of Vorkuta and In support of this thesis I recently was parture from the existing practice o! identi specifically, that one person who was in given the declassified text of a State fying by name individual survivors held in terned at Vorkuta in September, 1950 stated Department message dated June 20, detention; and publicity to the request may that he was serving a twenty-five year es encourage other repatriates to come forward pionage sentence and had been a member of 1956 sent to M;oscow and Tokyo for a down United. States aircraft. comment as to how best to approach the with information. Moscow's and Tokyo's comments are re For the information o! the Soviet Govern Soviet Government relative to the :fliers quested o:r;t the general des1rab111ty of such ment, the crew of the United States Navy from the 1950 incident in the Baltic, as action and particularly on the following pro Privateer when it departed for its flight over well as the B-50 plane destroyed by posed note. the high seas of the Baltic consisted o! the Soviet fighters oft' Hokkaido in 1952, VERBATIM TEXT following United States Navy personnel, all nationals o! the United States: since there were indications of survivors The Embassy of the United States of Amer in both cases. ica presents its compliments to the Minis NAME, RANK AND SERIAL NUMBER Navy and CIA messages recently de try of Foreign A1fairs of the Union of Soviet Fette. John H., Lt., 320676 USNR. classified also bolster the case that these Socialist Republics and has the honor to re Seescha.!, Ho~ard W., Lt., 264095 USN. men were prisoners. Since these ar..d fer to the question of the detention of United. Reynolds, Robert D., Lt. jg, 368573 USN. other Americans have never been ac States military personnel in the Soviet Union. Burgess, Tommy L., Ens., 506762 USN. counted for by the Soviet Union, it seems The United States Governmelllt haa for some Danens Jr., Joe H., AD1, 3685438 USN. to me that we ought to continue to ask time received, from persons of various na Thomas, Jack W .• ADl, 2242750 USN. tionalities freed from Soviet Government Beckman, FrankL., ATl, 2799076 USN. and that the Soviets be required to Purcell, Edward J., CT3, 2540438 USN. render a full accounting of these in imprisonment during the last several years, reports that they have conversed with, seen Rinnlar Jr., Joseph Norris, AT3, 2542600 cidents, because obviously some of these USN. or heard reports concerning United states Bourassa, Joseph Jay, ALS, 9539864 USN. men were prisoners at one time. It is my m111tary aviation personnel, belonging either intention to contact the Department of to the United States Air Force or to the 2. One or more members of the crew of a State to ask what followup measures United States Navy Air Arm, in actual deten United States Air Force B-29 which came were taken and with what results. tion in the Soviet Union. Th& United States down on June 13, 1952, either over the Sea of Japan or near the Kamchatka area of the Whether they are alive now is diftlcult has Government sought in all such cases to Soviet Union. An omcer, believed by the to say but detente notwithstanding, we obtain, 1f possible, precise identlfleation of United States Government to have been a owe it to their families. The text of the American nationals detained by the Soviet member of this crew, was observed in Octo State Department message follows: Government, although it notes that by inter ber, 1953 in a Soviet hospital north of Maga national law and international practice the dan near the crossing o! the Kolyma River [Department of State Instruction, CA-101155, Soviet GovM'nment 1s obliged to inform the June 20, 1956) between Elgen and Debin at a nlace called United States Government first of any Amer Narionburg. Th1s officer stated that he had SOVIET DETENTION OF UNITED STATES AmCRAFT ican nationals whom the Soviet Government been convicted, wrongfully, under Item 6 of INCmENT SURVIVORS holds in custody or to permit such nationals Article 58 of the Soviet Penal Code. To: The American Embassy, Moscow. Ameri- to communicate wt.th the proper United For the information of the Soviet Govern can Embassy, Tokyo. · States authorities. The reports concerntng ment, the United States Air Force personnel Reference 1s made to the Department's such personnel have now become so persts on board the B-29 which has been missing Airgram A-785 of Apr1116, 1954 to the Amer tent and detailed, and so credible, that, al sines June 13, 1952 were as follows: ican Embassy, Tokyo on the subject "Aircraft though the United States Government 1s not NAME, RANK AND SERIAL NU114BER Incidents-Survivors" and related telegraphic able to identify by name these American na Busch, Samuel N .• Major, AO 733811. correspondence, including Section 2 o! Mos tionals now detained by the Soviet Govern Sculley, James A., 1st Lt., AO 693414. cow's Telegram to the Department No. 944 ment, it requests the Soviet Government to Service, Samuel D., 1st Lt., AO 752509. of February 1, 1954, final paragraph. inform the United States Government in McDonnell, Robert J., 1st Lt., AO 2222264. The Department is considering whether it detail concerning each American mwtary Homer, wuuam B., M/Sgt., AF 7025704. has become appropriate as well as desirable person who has been detained in the Soviet Moore, David L., M/Sgt., AP 15229915. at this time to question the Soviet Govern Union at any time since January 1, 1949 of BUzzard, Wllliam A., S/Sgt., AP 19244175. ment specifically with reference to the de whom the United States Government haa not Monserrat, Miguel W., S/Sgt., AF 13164064. tention of American filers whose presence heretofore been informed by the Soviet Gov Berg, Eddie R., S/Sgt., !J' 17281746. has been reported by repatriates from Soviet ernment, giving in each case the name of the Bonura, Leon P., S/Sgt., AP 18359162. prison camps and detention places, even person :-.nd the circumstances underlying his Becker, Roscoe G., S/Sgt., AP 19391813. though the basic information received in the detention. P11lsbury, Danny H., A/lC, AP 18245964. Department is not as specl.f1c as that which Specifically, the United States Govenunent 3. While the foregoing specific cases involve has underlain the representations made to is informed and 1s compelled to believe th81t the crew members of two aircraft, it may well the Soviet Government in other cases.