[H.A.S.C. No. 91-121 INQUIRY INTO THE U.S.S. PUEBLO AND EC-121. PLANE INCIDENTS REPORT *OF THE SPECIAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE U.S.S. PUEBLO [Pages of all documents printed in behalf of the activities of the House Committee on Armed Services are numbered cumulatively to permit a comprehensive index at the end of the Con- gressL Page numbers lower than those in this document refer to other subjects.] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE /-0M WASHINGTON : 1969 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES NIN1rY-F.RST CoNGRESs, FIs-r SEsHION L. MENDEL RIVERS, South Carolina, Chairman 1IILIP J. PHILBIN, Massachusetts LESLIE C. ARENDS, Illinois ALVIN E. O'KONSKI, Wisconsin F. EDWARD H9BERT, Louisiana WILLIAM G. BRAY, Indiana MIELVIN PRICE, Illinois BOB WIIhSO•j:C:4..5$kia 0. C. FISHER. Texas CHARLES S. GUBSER. CILftraip E. BENNETT, Florida CHARLES ALEXANDER PIRNIE, New York JAMES A. BYRNE, Pennsylvania DURWARD G. HALL, Missouri A. STRATTON, New York SAMUEL DONALD D. CLANCY. Ohio OTIS G. PIKE, New York ROBERT T. STAFFORD, Vermont RICHARD H. ICHORD, Missouri CARLETON J. KING, New York LUCIEN N. NEDZI, Michigan :WILLIAM L. DICKINSON, Alabama LENNON, North Carolina ALTON CHARLES W. WHALEN, JR., Ohio WILLIAM J. RANDALL, Missouri. ED FOREMAN, New Mexico HAGAN, Georgia G. ELLIOTT JOHN E. HUNT, New Jersey CHARLES H. WILSON, California G. WILLIAM WHITEIIURST, Virginia ROBERT L. LEGGETT, California ROBERT J. CORBETT, Pennsylvania FLOYD V. HICKS, Washington SPEEDY 0. LONG, Louisiana RICHARD C. WHITE, Texas BILL NICHOLS, Alabama JACK BRINKLEY, Georgia ROBERT H. MOLLOHAN, West Virginia W. C. (DAN) DANIEL, Virginia JORGE L, CORDOVA, Puerto Rico JOHN R. BLANDFORD, Chic) Counsel SPECIAL SUBcOMmMaE ON U.S.S. PUEBLO OTIS G. PIKE, New York, Chairman LUCIEN N. NEDZI, Michigan WILLIAM 0. BRAY, Indiana G. HALL, Missouri ALTON LENNON, North Carolina DURWARD Vermont BILL NICHOLS, Alabama ROBERT T. STAFFORD, Virginia JACK BRINKLEY, Georgia G. WILLIAM WHITEHURST, FRANK M. S.ATINBHBeKr, A8u1atant Chief Counsde (HI) I LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL U.S. HousE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITrrEE Ox ARMED SERVICES, Washington, D.C., June 30, 1969. Jon. L. MENDEL RIvEýs, a;rnian, Committee on Armed Services, )ose of Representatives, Tathlngton., D.C. DFR MR. CH,\AIRMAN: I have reference to your letter of February ,. 1969, in which you established a special suiwommittee to conduct a ill and thorough" inquiry into all matters arising from the capture A4internment of the U.S.S. Pueblo and its crew by the North Korean 4wernment. I also have reference to your letter of April 22. 1969, in which you ipanded the jurisdiction of that special subcommittee to extend its S1uiry to include the loss of a Navy EC-121 aircraft. As you will recall, you directed the special subcommittee to, among her things, ascertain the national security implications implicit in loss of both the U.S.S. Pueblo and the EC-1-21, as well as the ,uirement for possible changes in the Code of Conduct for military rsonnel who are captured by hostile enemy forces. I am pleased to report that your special subcommittee has now mpleted its inquiry into these matters and herewith submits a report its findings and recommendations, together with the facts upon "ich it reached its conclusions. I am also pleased to advise that the report reflects the unanimous Ws of all nine members of the special subcommittee. The report, as submitted, contains information classified by the De- tment of Defense as "top secret." Therefore, the subcommittee was spelled to provide similar classification to the report as submitted you. However, the subcommittee urges that the report be submitted the Department of Defense for declassification at the earliest pos- le date so that it can be made available for public release. Sincerely, OTIS G. PIKE, Chairman, Special Subeominitee. Liicien N. Nedzi William G. Bray Alton Lennon Durward G. Hall Bill Nichols Robert T. Stafford Jack Brinkley G. William Whitehurst pproved: L. MENDEL RIVE.is, Chairman. nx 1, 1969. (III) TABLE OF CONTENTS Paes ,tiIitmary of findings and recoiiindilItions - . 1619 Geh m r a l . 16 19 Inteligence rcoimtm siitiic, net ivities . 1620 ('Capbility andl avaihlaility of forces_... 1621 H isk usm. sl ue••nt ---------. ------. -..- ..--.-.- ................. 1622 ('o m mu n i a t ions . .. .... .. ... ..... ........ ..... ........ ----- 1624 Common dl control ----------------- ------ 1624 ('ode of co hInuet ----- .------ -------------- ------------ 1626 Backgromid-- 4eirnl ..- .. .. 1626 Ftal)1iihblls t of Navy court of inquiry- . 1629 Sulbommit tee inquiry- .. .. 1629 The military revonnOitisalice Irograni-Generil ----------------------- 1631 The surface reconnaitia;ce program- ------------------------------- 1631 .misity for seaborne surveillance ----------------------------------- 16331 The AGI, t programi concep)t. -... 1633 Matmigetne id of the AGEIIt recolmaissanee program-General ----------- 1635 The Pueblo mi.ssion-Ggenerall -------------------------------------- 1636 The monthly reconnaissance scheduled. ....... ....... 164.5 The tT.S.S. P,'rblo--Ship's Characteristics ---------.------------------ 1046 ('onversion in iBremerton, Wash- --------------------------- 1646 Pueblo Eniromite to and inlort San Diego--...... .. .. 164S Pu rblo El'romte to and inport Pearl Harbor ----------------------- 1649 I'urblo ELroute and inport Yokosuka ---------------------------- 1649 Rik ovationt. ------ .---------------------------------------------1650 Risk as•,.ss••,ent -Criteria ------------------------------------------- 1051 Publo--Ship protective meaura r---------------------------------• -- 1652 I,,rning message on the P'ueblo mision ..--.-------------------------- 165.4 The Pueblo operat-iou-Ichthyic I ------------------------------------ 1657 Pueblo incident-Januarv 23, 1968-------.-------------------------- 1657 Pmeblo ineident--Januar- 23, 1968-Narrative ------------------------ 1658 Location of 11S..S. Pueblo ------------------------------------------ 1661 ('oreumunicat ionz --. ..--------------------------------------------1 662 ('0oznuuuuuuucatioz.s -Pinnacles I and 11 ----------------.-------------- 1666 Communication,,-Delays in receipt of Pinnacles I and II -------------- 1667 P in n a cle I .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. 166 7 Pinnacle 1 . .. .. .. - ..---- - - 1667 capability and availability of forces -Command response-------------- 1668 1.e of U.S. aircraft. in Japan..-----------. 1673 The lo',q of the IPS.S. Pueblo--Consequeneps -------------------------- 1674 The air recommissance program -.-.-.----------------------........ .1674 EC-121 incident --------------------------.----------------------- 1675 omand control--EC-121 ...------------------------------- 1679 onology of events-- I('- 121 ------------------------------------ 1678 code of conduct-Background ------------------------------ 1681 ode of conducta-llistorical background ...---------- 1682 The American Revolution ------------ _-----------.----------- 1683 The American Civil War-.------------------------------ 1683 World War I and II-------------------..... 1683 Korean war --- --- 1683 ode of conduct ..--Departmental view,. .. ..................... 1647 ode of condtet-Traiing ------------------.---------------------- 16819 ode of conduct-Applical lit--- ----------------------------------- 1691 ode of conduct-Subcommittee's views ---- _--------------------_- 1694 IV) I [H.A.S.C. NO. 91-12] INQUIRY INTO THE' U.S.S. PUEBLO AND EC-121 PLANE INCIDENTS Tile s514oillimittep, in pursuing its inquiry into the loss, of F.S.S. lichldo and the EC-121, found it. nece.arv to examine many facets of the intelligence rcommissance activity: plussued by our Nation. This detailed examination was mwecesarv in ordor to provide the sub- cMnuinit-tt with the broad lwm'plvv'tdit e..-sential to evaltuatuing tile actions taken on the P'ueblo and 1,`C('--121 11ILNioi s ai conS utcu of this detailed review, the I-ex)•t. sulmillted )y the sueomillhuittee is s)Iuiewhlat lengthy. IIowover, tle sounarv which follows endeators to present a NWriet r-'SIl1n of the prilneipail findings and recommend)a- tions of the sulbo'nimittee on this matter. SUMMARY Op FimNINGS AND R]ECtM.MENIDA'FI;oNS Grilenl The inquiry made by this special suilommittee into the V.S.S. Puwblo and tie E(C'-121 incidents has resulted in .the unanimous view that. there exist serious deficiencies in the organizational and adminis- trntive military command structure of both the D)epartnment. of the Navy and the'Department of Defense. If nothing else, the inquiry r'eals the existence of a vast and complex military st ruc4ure capabh'e ofacquiring alunm4 infinite amounts of information but with a demoll- ted inability, in these two instances, to relay tlits infonnation in stimeiv and conillrehensible fashion to those chargedd with the respnm- ýihility for making decisous. As "President Nixon recentlv said. "W'mhen a war can be decided in :) minutes, the nation that. is behind will have no i ite to catch up." This concern is shared by the subcommittee. It was this ecosidera- tiom, ns to the national security implications inherent in these two incidents. which overshadowed all others in the inquiry made by the uhcouminuittee. The relumtant but. inescapable conclusion finally reahed by the ."0'11mnittee is that. because, of the vastness of the inilirv structure. ith its emnplex division into multiple layers of comumatd, and the ailure of responsible authorities at. the spet of government. to either klegate responsibility 01 in the alternative provide clear and unequiv- ,'a1 guidelines governing1.,