U.S. Planes Shot Down

Chronicle (Levin), 22 August 1946, Page 5

U.S. Planes Shot Down

Press Assn.

Yl'GOSLAV INCIDENT

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Wednesday, 7 p.m. WADDINGTON, Aug. 20. L'nited States Chiefs of Btaff and combined British and American Chiefs of Staff— top-level army, navy and an t'orce planners who directed the war o, .strategy from Washingtou — are reported to be giving intensive study to t.hiYugoslav incidpnts as part of what r.^ regarded as a generally unsatisfactor\ situation in Eurppe. The New Yoru Times' Washingtou eorrespondent says military and naval men are franku stumped by the action of the Yugosiacs in attacking American transports biu do not intend to be stampeded into acts that might lead to' war. Contrasting the Yugoslav and Russian conduct in harassing American planes which strayed from their course, it is pointeu out that Russiau planes habituaiB deviated from the prescribed course n. Japan and Germany without beiug attacked by American fighters. Denouncing tlie Yugoslav attack agaiust an American plane on August 8 as an ' ' outrageous performance ' , Alr. Dean Acheson has published tlie ueu American note to Y'ugoslavia whicli says: "lt' vvouid be our wisli to rende. iiiaxiinuni assistaiice and succour to air craft of a frioiidly nation forced l> \ navigation liazards in bad weather ovei dangerous mountain barriers, to deviatt from their course and seek bearing. over Yugoslavia territorv. On the con trary Yugoslav lighters have seen tit witliout previous warning, to takt aggressive action against such Unites. .States transport, the identilication marks of which were clearly apparem, and forced it to crashland after wound ing one of the passengers. Bubsequent ly tlie Yugoslav authorities detained the plane, its crew and passengers anu refused American consular officials ac cess tliereto until the United Btates Embassy had made speciiic represeutations thereanent. The Embassy is in structed to protest most emphatically and renew ^the demand for the im mediate release of the passengers and crew now able to travel and also to re quest an urgent Yugoslav statcment whether United Btates can expect that Ihe Yugoslav Government will accord the usual courtesies including the right of innocent passage over Yugoslav ter ritory, to United Btates aircraft deviat ing from regular routes under stress and bad weather. The Yugoslav authorities have aiready received the l'nited Btates' assuranee that United Btates' planes won't eross Yugoslavia withoui prior elearance exeept. when forced by cireumstances whereover they have n.» control. United Btates reserves tlu right to elaim compensation. " The note referred to the Yugoslav complaint of August 10 pTotesting against 172 violations of Yugoslav ter ritory between July 10 and August. 10. It said, on the eontrary, that only 74 fiights were made in that period and alt the , (q'C'ws .\ve|-e bi'.Lei/iij t a ,avoid, , l slavia. It added: "Meauwhile it is re ported from Trieste that a second l'nited Btates plane, cn route to italy from Austria, is inissing after reporting itself 'under maehine-giin attack'." Arr. Dean Acheson, speaking at a press eonferenee, said diplomatic of ficials had reported that the personne! of the aircraft were reeeiving good treatment. However, he eompnred the situation with what might fre»|uentl\ happen on the Canadian and Alexican Oorders where crevvs across the bordei "would receive help and not hostile action".