KAL 007, the truth comes home

By FRED WEIR

In a summer which hs been notable for
Cold War anniversaries, the most
difficult and poignant is that marking the
destruction of KAL 007 on September 1,
three years ago. Like the Berlin Wall, the
construction of which a quarter century
ago became the very symbol of divided
Europe, the terrible fate of that Korean
airliner has come_to represent the new
Cold War and the fearful consequences
that may await us all.
Unlike the case of the Berlin Wall, we
cannot expect any historical perspective
to creep into the big media’s treatment of
the KAL 007 anniversary. It is all very
_Well to reflect, 25 years after the fact, that
the Wall stabilized Europe and pre-
vented war. It is quite another thing to
look too closely at an event whose au-
thors are still in power and almost cer-
tainly living in Washington.
Since the downing of the Korean
plane, however, there has been a steady
steam of new information which has
underscored the complexity of the affair
and pointed to deep, unanswered ques-
tions about its flight. Attempts by the
Reagan administration and the U.S.-
controlled International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) to explain the
airliner’s 365-mile course deviation as a
simple pilot error have fallen flat, while
evidence has mounted that KAL 007 flew
deliberately into Soviet airspace, and
that the U.S. must have known about it
as it was happening.
These questions, and the unfolding
evidence of the past three years, are now
the theme of a new book, Shootdown, by
Oxford political science professor R.W.
_ Johnson. It is certainly the most

_ thorough and penetrating study of the
Subject that has yet appeared. And, al-
though it delivers no definitive verdict on
the case, it makes clear that KAL 007’s
overflight of sensitive Soviet military
bases, its repeated course changes, and
its attempts to take evasive action when
challenged by Soviet fighter aircraft, are
not consistent with any scenario involv-
ing inadvertent pilot error.

‘While those who wish to argue for an
accident hypothesis will certainly con-
tinue to do so,’ remarks Johnson after an
exhaustive review of the possibilities,

““surely even they must recognize a point
where their position is overwhelmed by

Presumed
crash site

Wakkanai (Radar station)

_ HOKKAID
(JAPAN)

0 kilometres
0 miles

Soviet Aerospace Defence Identification Zone

Sea of Okhotsk

Pacific Ocean

72

Map shows the two versions of 007’s turn over Sakhalin. Both versions agree that 007
altered its course just before entering Soviet airspace, disputing U.S. claims that the

plane was on automatic pilot.

the ever accumulating weight of sheer
improbability’’.

A good deal of Johnson’s research is
new, and has not appeared in any of the
previous studies, such as David Pear-
son’s excellent work in The Nation (re-
viewed in the Tribune on the first and
second anniversaries of the KAL
tragedy) or in Alexander Dallin’s in-
teresting book, Black Box.

Johnson analyzes KAL 007’s last flight
in microscopic detail, bringing out im-
portant information that has so far es-
caped notice. We learn, for example, that
the airliner’s pilot falsified his official fuel
record; in fact he loaded some four tons
of extra fuel, which he later burned up in
extraordinary bursts of acceleration over
Soviet territory. Johnson also cites the
case of KAL 015, another Korean air-
liner flying the same route just behind
KAL 007. It is now clearly established
that KAL 015, incomplete violation of all
rules.of civil aeronautics, communicated
with ground controllers claiming that it
was KAL 007, and relayed false position
reports while the real KAL 007 strayed

further and further away from its allotted :

route.

Of equal importance with Johnson’s
carefully researched data on KAL 007’s
last flight is the contextual analysis that
he weaves around it. Shootdown is the
only serious study available that places
the tragedy within the framework of an
intense strategic confrontation taking
place daily in the western Pacific. To
understand what happened to the KAL
plane, it is necessary to know about the
endless electronic war that goes on there,
in what is certainly the most sensitive
strategic corner of the globe. One must
have a sense of the vast intelligence re-
sources that are deployed by the U.S. in
that region, and the awesome informa-
tion-gathering and electronic warfare
feats of which they are capable. Johnson
supplies this critical information.

Also useful is the political context of
the KAL 007 affair. Shootdown examines

this in some detail, concentrating on the —

uses made of the tragedy by the ultra-
right to derail arms control and superheat
the military and propaganda con-

frontation with the USSR. It also
thorough look at the duplicity
selectiveness displayed by the big @™™ ;
in its treatment of the incident.
ically, Johnson’s book has fallen}

to this same phenomenon — it i
virtually ignored by all major media?
lets).

What emerges is an overwhelmit :
that KAL 007 was part of a major U
intelligence operation, to “tum
Sovier air-defences over the entire”.
ific region so that they could be S¢ \
ized by surveillance satellites, ¥=
(electronic intercept) aircraft, sev"
which were on station that ni
seaborne intelligence assets, SUCH ©
giant spy ship the USS Observation Isla
which just happened to be cruising4 al
time near the Soviet Pacific coast.

“There seems little doubt,”
Johnson, ‘‘that 007’s intrusion di
the U.S. with an intelligence bona

It is also clear that the U.S. had @
aware of what was happening t0
007, as events were unfolding.

_ clusion is inescapable from the

American intelligence capabilities, ic
culously presented by Johnson.
There is no final and absolute Ve
That, as Johnson notes, must awa
release of tapes and other hard ony
still being withheld. “‘The U.S. 2
he says, ‘‘must have enough Sa af
on its radar and recording tapes tO
the whole matter beyond reasonab
pute. We don’t have that data an
therefore have to hypothesize’. is
As the available evidence mo?
however, the case of KAL 007 #
curiouser and curiouser. So far, only? r
hypothesis satisfactorily explains ©
known facts of the Korean aiflin®
strange voyage: that of a co-ordina
intelligence operation. ah
When history’s verdict is finally ™-_)
it seems certain that KAL 007 — a
tessential symbol of the new Col
will also be a badge of guilt and s amel é
be worn by those who sent an intl |
airliner and, by extension, a “antl
human beings, into the jaws of deat
the final analysis, we are all helpless
sengers in a world where a han
militarists, ideologues and brainles
venturers control our destiny.
R.W. Johnson: Shootdown
London, Catto & Windus, 1986
$24.95

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Israeli ‘hopes’ dashed in Soviet talks

Seizing on the fact that Israel and
the USSR had agreed to hold talks in
Helsinki earlier this month on consu-
lar matters, Western press reports
immediately speculated that the two
States were heading toward a diplo-
matic rapproachment. The talks were
held, lasting a mere 90 minutes
when the USSR charged Israel with
injecting issues onto the agenda.

The following article by Novosti
press agency foreign affairs commen-
tator Georgi Sain, written prior to
the Helsinki meeting, offers this view
of this issue:

ee

It is absurd to conclude that the
- upcoming Soviet-Israeli talks on
consular issues have any political
implications, let alone signal the
' prelude of renewed diplomatic re-
lations between the two coun-
tries. The Soviet Union is not
going to discuss this question with
the Israelis, even though the
restoration of relations is possi-
ble, and has been from the day

they were severed.

The USSR broke off diplomatic

relations with Israel on June 10,
1967, less than a week after the
beginning of the Six Day War to
protest Israeli aggression against
its Arab neighbours. Since that
time, successive Israeli govern-
ments have made no sign what-
ever that Israel will move to
amend its aggression, or grant the
Palestinians their national rights,
including the right to their own
state.

The roadblock to the renewal of
normal relations between the
USSR and Israel is Israel’s on-
going refusal to consider a just,
comprehensive Middle East
settlement. Moscow has made
this clear time and again, and it is
naive at best to believe Moscow
will ‘‘forget’’ this and sue for
normalization of relations without
Israel changing its policy.

Reports that restoration of dip-
lomatic relations between the two
countries is in the offing came
originally from Israeli govern-
ment spokespeople and the Israeli
press.

8 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 3, 1986

One objective is to demoralize
the Arabs by implication: if the
USSR is ready for normal rela-
tions with Israel, then the Arab
countries should certainly agree
to direct talks with it, be more
“‘flexible’’; or ‘‘pliant’’, etc.

A second objective is to con-
vince the world and the people of
Israel that Israel is no longer a
pariah, that it has improved its
international image, so much so
that even Moscow is ready to sof-
ten its stand.

Third, Tel Aviv has spread
these rumours as a feeler to learn
what the Soviet Union really
thinks about restoring diplomatic
relations.

Moscow has made it clear, as
Soviet leader Gorbachev said in
Paris a year ago, that once the
Middle East situation returns to.
normal and a comprehensive and
fair settlement is instituted, the
question can be examined.

Most Canadians are not aware
that the USSR was instrumental

in the formation of the state of
Israel through the United Na-
tions, and recognizes its
sovereignty and right to existence
and security. Of course, the
USSR and successive Israeli
governments have had greatly dif-
fering concepts of exactly what
security means.

In that Paris comment, Gor-
bachev alluded to, but did not
specify in so many words, the
foundation of renewed diplo-
meatic relations Moscow deems
necessary. For the curious, this is
to be seen ‘in the Soviet proposals
of July 30, 1984, for a Middle East
settlement, which were sub-
sequently approved by three UN
General Assembly Resolutions.

The principles these proposals
are founded on include: the im-
possibility of acquiring foreign
land through aggression; ensur-
ance of the just and legitimate
rights of all nations in the region,
including the Israelis and the Arab
people of Palestine, to self-deter-
mination and national develop-

ment; ensurance to all CO”
of the region to secure ae
dependent  existencé
development; and, once
recognized by ll,
Israel, the establishment!
with the Arab states, SUPP”
by international guaranter i i
The place a settlement i ip
might be worked out iS
national conference, in wht
parties to the Middle East® oe
would be represented. oo
Israel has so far refused !
cede an inch on any of U™
sues. As long as this cO™. A
there is no way diplom@ ev!
lations with the USSR ¢%
be considered. Tel Avi¥
this. vp 9
The questions coming 9 a)
discussion (In Helsinki — ot
providing consular assiS )
Soviet nationals in Israel, #
state of Soviet propery si Hl
country — in no way pres jo"
imminent renewal of diP
relations, or can even
sidered a step in that dire@