Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Central and Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

611.6.1/9–650: Telegram

The United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin) to the Secretary of State

niact

New York, September 6, 1950—4:29 p. m.

461. Document S/1766. Following is text of fetter dated 6 September 1950 from the representative of the USSR¹ addressed to the President of the SC² and the SYG³ dictated by phone from Lake Success:

“With reference to the official notification of the 4 September incident⁴ delivered to Mr. Trygve Lie and Sir Gladwyn Jebb, President of the SC, by Mr. Gross, alternative representative of the USA to UN (document S/1758) the Soviet Government considers it necessary to inform you of the contents of the note on the matter addressed to the Government of the USA by the Government of the USSR.⁵

“The text of the above mentioned note is attached hereto.

“At 1244 hours on 4 September, local time, a double-engined bomber of the air force of the USSR, with neither bombing nor torpedo equipment, carrying out a training flight from Port Arthur in the region of the island of Kwang Pao, was entering the limits of the naval base of Port Arthur, 140 kilometres from the Korean coast, when without any justification or excuse it was attacked and destroyed by 11 fighters of the US Air Force. As a result of the attack the Soviet aircraft was shot down and fell in flames in the sea, 8 kilometres south of the island of Kwang Pao. This attack by American fighters on the aircraft of the Soviet Air Force was witnessed by two other Soviet aircraft carrying out a training flight with the destroyed aircraft, and also by a Soviet observation and liaison post on the island of Kwang Pao.

“In order to cover up this totally unjustified attack on Soviet aircraft, the representative of the USA to the UN put out a mendacious version to the effect that the Soviet aircraft flew above the vessel that discovered it and proceeded with obviously hostile intent towards a center of concentration of the UN and opened fire on the American fighters.

“Actually, the Soviet aircraft not only did not fly over the American vessel, but did not even approach it, being at a distance of more than 10 kilometres away from it; and, as has already been said above, was carrying out a training flight. It did not open fire of any kind on the American fighters, and was shot down as the result of a gratuitous attack on it by 11 American fighters.⁶

“The Soviet Government categorically rejects the American version and vigorously protests to the Government of the USA against the crime committed by American military aircraft.

“The Soviet Government places on the Government of the USA full responsibility for the criminal acts of the American military authorities, who have disgraced themselves by this flagrant violation of the generally recognized standards of international law, and insists on a strict investigation and punishment of those responsible for the above mentioned attack, and also on reparation for the loss of the crew of three airmen⁷ and the destruction of the Soviet aircraft.

“The Soviet Government also considers it necessary to draw the attention of the Government of the USA to the serious consequences which may result in such acts on the part of the American military authorities.”

Austin

1. The Permanent Representative of the Soviet Union to the United Nations was Yakov Alexandrovich Malik.
2. Sir Gladwyn Jebb was the President of the Security Council at this time.
3. Trygve Lie was the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
4. The incident concerned the shooting down of a Soviet twin-engined aircraft, an A–20–G type bomber, many of which had been sent to the Soviet Union under lend-lease, by a United States Combat Air Patrol plane. The official notification of this incident was reported to the Security Council of the United Nations by Ambassador Ernest A. Gross, the Deputy Representative of the United States, on September 5. See Department of State Bulletin, September 18, 1950, p. 454. Some discussion of this incident took place in the Security Council on September 6 and 7 between the United States Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Warren R. Austin, and Mr. Gross, and the Representative of the Soviet Union. See ibid., September 11, 1950, p. 439. Additional details about this encounter are printed in vol. vii, pp. 271 ff.
5. Ambassador Kirk had declined to receive the note from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Audrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky, because representations on this incident should be presented to the Security Council of the United Nations. See ibid., pp. 700 ff.

6. The investigation by the United States of this event soon disclosed that a twin-engined aircraft bearing a red star flew into the area of United States vessels of a Task Force in the Yellow Sea and evaded identification. Its rear gunner had opened fire on a United States Combat Air Patrol plane, which returned fire and shot down the bomber into the sea approximately 8 miles away from the destroyer U.S.S. Thomas.

   The Department of State sent the following supplementary facts to the United States Mission at the United Nations in New York in telegram 236 on September 11, not printed, for use if necessary: “Exact location at which the incident occurred was latitude 38°45’ north and longitude 123°35’ east. The Amer patrol which intercepted the Sov plane consisted of four fighter planes, of which only two approached the intruding plane, were fired on by it, and in turn shot it down.” While it was not intended to revive debate in the Security Council on the subject, if discussions should be renewed “and this material used you may add further reports will come from UN Commander in due course.” (761.5895B/9–1150) General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command in Korea.

7. The U.S.S. Thomas recovered the body of Lt. Gennady Vasilyevich Mishin (or Mizhin), one of the members of the bomber crew. The body of this airman was buried in Cemetery No. 1, in Pusan, Korea.