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205714725
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Message from General Lucius Clay
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205714725
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Message from General Lucius Clay
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President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)
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Berlin Blockade, 1948-1949
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205714725
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SICHAI
Perkin
PEN V ARL NR 66
FROM MESSAGE CENTER 051855Z
TO CSGID
TOP SBORET
MSG NR BIW 10
URGENT
EYES ONLY CHAMBERLIN
GEN CLAY REQUESTS IMMEDIATE DELIVERY AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FLLWG:
"PERSONAL FOR BRADLEY FROM CLAY PD ROBERTSON ADVISES ME THAT EYE
WITNESSES REPORT THAT FIGHTER AIRCRAFT AND BIXXX BRITISH AIRPLANE
WERE FIRST SEEN FLYING DIRECTLY AT EACH OTHER PD OF COURSE UNDER
ALL RULES OF AIR TRAFFIC, THE COMMERCIAL PLANE CARRYING PASSENGERS
HAS RIGHT OF WAY PD THE SOVIET FIGHTER MADE NO ATTEMPT TO AVOID
BRITISH AIRPLANE UNTILL ALMOST UPON IT PD WHEN HE DID ATTEMPT TO
MANEUVER BELOW IT CMA WINGS COLLIDED AND BOTH PLANES CRASHED PD
IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT 14 LIVES WERE LOST ON BRITISH PLANE PD
2. ROBERTSON HAS SENT A GENERAL OFFICER TO DEMAND (A) 4-POWER
INQUIRY AND (B) ASSURANCES THAT BRITISH AIRPLANES WILL NOT BE
MOLESTED PD FURTHER CMA HE HAS ADVISED SOKOLOV SKY THAT UNTIL HE HAS
HEARD FROM SOKOLOVSKY HE IS NOW PLACING AND WILL CONTINUE FIGHTER
ESCORTS OVER HIS PASSENGER FLIGHTS PD
3. WE ARE NOT SCHEDULING ADDITIONAL PASSENGER FLIGHTS TODAY SINCE
THE ONLY REMAINING FLIGHT IS A RETURN EMPTY FROM BERLIN PD HAVING
NO FIGHTER AIRCRAFT IN BERLIN WE ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE FIGHTER ESCORT
FOR THE RETURN OF THIS PLANE PD HOWEVER CMA UNLESS A SATISFACTORY
EXPLANATION IS RECEIVED BY ROBERTSON TONIGHT CMA WE WILL PLACE FIGHTER
COVER OVER OUR PASSENGER PLANES STARTING TOMORROW PD
4. MY OWN EVALUATION IS THAT THIS ACTION WAS NOT INTENDED BUT THE
RESULT OF A "FIFHTXXX FIGHT HAPPY" PILOT OUT TO SHOW HIS DEFIANCE OF
THE WESTERN POWERS PD HOWEVER CMA CONSTANT SOVIET PROPAGANDA TO THE
EFFECT THAT THERE WOULD BE SOVIET INTERFERENCE WITHOUT AIR FLIGHTS
MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THE SOVIETS TO MAKE A SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION
WITHOUT A SUBSTANTIAL RETREAT FROM THEIR PRESS AND RADIO PROPAGANDA WXX
WITHIN GERMANY*
AS CM IN 4812 DTG 051715Z AH
K
RECD ARL NR 66 051910 Z WRC
ARCHIVES 'NATIONAL RECORD$ AND
:
sovernance
DECLASSIFIED
E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E)
OSD letter, April 12, 1974
By NLT- He , NARS Date, 11-24-75
Copy
H I