Soviet Overflights of Free World Areas

SECRET - 2 - 1959. Defense Agency sources said weeks of radar observation have confirmed the fact that high-altitude flights of two or three large jet bombers from areas north of Hokkaido to the Tokyo Bay area had been made twice a week since early in 1960. The Defense Agency first learned of these high- altitude flights early in 1959 when the flights consisted of single planes and seldom came further south than the Sendai area. Agency sources added that the recent flights of jet bombers were flying deliberately nearer to, but carefully outside of, Japan's territorial air. Pakistan: According to a Reuter's report, President Ayub told a London Daily Mail reporter in November 1959, that Soviets and Chinese had made some overflights over Pakistan to "pinpoint" US bases there. ( (END UNCLASSIFIED) (BEGIN SECRET) Turkey: In September 1958 Foreign Minister Zorlu acknowledged to our Charge in Ankara that Soviet aircraft often invade Turkish air space. Our Charge commented that he thought we could expect no support from the Turks on violation of Turkish air space. DEPARTMENT NOTE: Preliminary reports from USAFE and PACAF indicate no record of penetrations in Europe or in the Far East other than occasional Soviet overflights of northern Hokkaido, generally evaluated as due to navigational error. ( END SECRET) SECRET