861.857/9–1344
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union (Gromyko)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and has the honor to refer to the Soviet Embassy’s memorandum of September 13, 1944 regarding the attack on the Soviet tanker Emba on August 28, 1944 by an aircraft allegedly belonging to the United States Army Air Forces.
The question was referred to the proper United States authorities and as a result of the careful investigation which was conducted it appears that the Emba was bombed and strafed in the approximate vicinity reported in the Soviet Ambassador’s memorandum by a Ventura plane attached to a unit of the United States Pacific Fleet.16
The plane was given a mission to bomb and strafe Japanese shipping and supplies at Onekotan Island in the Kuriles. When the plane sighted what was thought to be its objective off the coast of Onekotan, it was, through errors in navigation, really off the east coast of Kamchatka. Due to the similarity of the landmarks near Onekotan and those in the vicinity of Kamchatka the pilot was not aware of his error and presumed to have reached the area of his target.
When he sighted a tanker in the distance, he assumed it to be an enemy vessel. Upon approaching to within ten miles of the tanker, the pilot, using binoculars, saw what appeared to be a white rectangle with a red circle in the center, painted on the side of the vessel amidships.
Observing markings which appeared to be the characteristic Japanese insignia on a vessel, assigned him as a primary target, in a location thought to be adjacent to the coast of Onekotan, his target area, the pilot decided on a low level strafing and bombing attack on the tanker.
As the plane came into the attack at top speed it was subject to intense antiaircraft fire from four to six positions on the tanker. While all of the members of the plane’s crew were, of course, very much preoccupied with their several duties, the navigator reports having observed during the attack a flag made up of red and yellow stripes flying over the superstructure amidships. Other crew members reported sighting a white flag with a red circle in the center flying over the vessel amidships.
[Page 1032]It was only as the plane was pulling away from its target that the crew members definitely made out the letters “U. S. S. R.” painted on the side of the vessel amidships, just above the deck line.
It is the opinion of the American authorities that the regrettable attack on the Soviet tanker Emba was the result of an unfortunate combination of circumstances involving errors in navigation, similarity of landmarks near Onekotan and Kamchatka, the fact that tankers were the primary objectives of the plane, mistaken identification of the target from a distance, diversion of attention by heavy defensive fire and concentration on their task by the crew members.
If, in spite of the foregoing explanation, the Soviet Government feels that compensation is due for those injured and killed in this regrettable attack on the Emba, it is requested that particulars be furnished including the injuries sustained and the amount claimed as compensation. The Department would then be in a position further to examine the question.
The Secretary of State reiterates the expression of keenest regret made orally to the Ambassador when the latter brought this unfortunate incident to the attention of the Department of State. The Secretary has been requested by the United States military authorities to state that stringent measures have been taken to prevent the possibility of attacks on Soviet shipping through mistake.
- A letter of November 6, 1944, from Gen. George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, United States Army, had informed the Secretary of State of this mistaken attack by the Ventura plane, but declared that it was not commanded by the internee, John Armour Dingel (861.857/11–644).↩