Devvy Kidd
December 10, 1999
I wanted to include the information below in my original piece on Incident at Sakhalin: The Real Mission of KAL 007, but unfortunately and out of the ordinary, I had to have someone help me with research material. We are very fortunate here in Sacramento to have an outstanding public library but some newspapers are not carried on microfilm, so I had to wait for my daughter to take a break from her college classes to retrieve some material for me out in Denver.
My original piece stirred quite a reaction but one person sent an e-mails implying I was daft, among other things. It's a good thing I'm not prone to letting people's nasty words get to me or I'd have to buy stock in a Kleenex company. For those of you who have seen Cover-Up in Oklahoma City, a video you should see, the first early reports bear no resemblance to the big, fat lie that was in place by 5:00 pm the night of April 19, 1995. So, too, is the case with KAL.
I particularly wanted Brandy to get me copies of the September 1st and 2nd 1983 issues of the Rocky Mountain News, the largest newspaper in the State of Colorado. The alleged downing of that plane took place in a time zone ahead our own and this is important to remember. The points I think are important to keep in mind as one reads these first reports are:
1. When you have any kind of air liner disaster, emergency or abnormal event, trackers kick into high gear: radar, rescue planes, and that entire apparatus of bureaucracy.
2. Since international flights carry passengers from different countries, all the concerned governments and any governments where the plane might have passed over, begin dialogue whether it is by telephone, telex, codes or whatever.
3. Once the flight number and air liner is known, if there is any person aboard, i.e. a member of Parliament (Britain), a member of Congress (U.S.) or what is commonly called a "dignitary," everything is heightened in importance, even though I'm sure we all agree that all lives are precious, not just those of the privileged or famous. But when some high government official or a "dignitary" is on-board, the media crawl all over it with intense coverage.
I think most people can agree that the minute the issue of a problem regarding an air plane occurs, many things begin to happen all at once. Now, this is the headline on the front page of the Rocky Mountain News, September 1, 1983 - September 1st in the U.S. but it would be the 2nd over on the other side of the world:
CONGRESSMAN'S FLIGHT REPORTEDLY FORCED TO SOVIET ISLE
"SEOUL, South Korea (UPI) - A Korean Air Lines jumbo jet flying from New York to Seoul Wednesday with 269 people aboard, including a U.S. Congressman, was forced to land on Sakhalin, a Soviet-occupied island north of Japan, the government-run television said.
"The passengers were reported safe. Among them was Rep. Larry McDonald, D-GA., John Birch society chairman, whose spokesman said in Washington that American officials believed the jet was forced down by Soviet or North Korean fighter planes.
"A report on the Korean Broadcasting System said Thursday the CIA had informed the Seoul government of the landing on the Soviet-occupied island about 850 miles north of Tokyo.
"In Tokyo, the Japanese foreign ministry said the soviet foreign ministry had denied the plane was on Sakhalin in a message conveyed to the Japanese embassy in Moscow. Soviet officials in Moscow refused to comment and the South Korean foreign ministry said it had no confirmation of the reports.
"The situation was complicated because South Korea does not have diplomatic relations with Moscow. Soviet news agency Tass did not report the incident. The Boeing 747 jetliner was reported missing Wednesday and officials originally feared the plane may have been hijacked.
"The plane, KAL Flight 7, which originated in New York with 29 crew members and 140 passengers had stopped to refuel in Anchorage, Alaska, and was due at Seoul's Kimpo airport at 6:00 am Thursday (3 p.m. MDT Wednesday.)
"Unconfirmed reports suggested the jetliner had strayed into Soviet controlled air space and was forced down by fighters based in the area, but U.S. military officials in Honolulu, where Pacific operations are based, declined comment.
"We've been told unofficially the plane was forced down." said McDonald's press secretary, Tommy Toles. "We do have it unofficially, on good reports, that it was forced down either by Soviets or North Koreans."
"A CIA spokesman in Washington, Dale Peterson, said: "I can neither confirm nor deny that story at this time. I just don't have any information."
"On April 20, 1978, a KAL flight from Paris crossed into Soviet airspace by mistake en route to Anchorage and was forced down by Soviet fighters. Two passengers were killed.
"KAL officials confirmed that McDonald was aboard the plane. McDonald, 48, of Marietta, GA., is an ultraconservative who was named chairman of the national John Birch Society this year. There was no immediate comment from his family.
"KAL Vice President Cho Choong-keun said he was told the plane landed safely.
"Cho flew immediately to Tokyo to join negotiations for the return of the passengers, crew and airplane from the island, which was occupied by the Soviet Union after WWII. He said he would attempt to reach Sakhalin by way of Sapporo.
"It was believed U.S. officials would join Japanese officials in the talks.
"That zone is about 80 miles south of Russian airspace and all pilots get tense when they fly there," Cho said. "I cannot tell how the plane came to land on Sakhalin. It does not matter as long as the passengers are all right. At this time nothing can be determined."
"KBS, quoting government officials, said the jumbo jet landed at Sakhalin at 4 a.m. Thursday (1 p.m. MDT Wednesday).
"About 100 friends and relatives of passengers waiting at Kimpo were stunned at the report of the missing plane but cheered and applauded when the landing at Sakhalin was announced.
"Cho said earlier he believed the plane could have been hijacked.
"The aircraft had all modern navigation equipment and was in perfect shape," said Cho. "Thus, I am inclined to think that it was forced out of normal flight against its intention. I cannot tell exactly what actually happened to it."
* * * * *
Let's go to another newspaper on the same day:
The New York Times, September 1, 1983: Korean Jetliner with 269 Aboard Missing Near Soviet Pacific Island - May Have Been Forced to Land, but Its Loss Is Also Called Possible
"Tokyo, Thursday, Sept 1 - A south Korean airliner with 269 people aboard disappeared this morning near the Soviet island of Sakhalin, off the Pacific coast of Siberia, according to reports in Tokyo and Seoul.
"Early reports said the plane, a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 jetliner on a flight from New York to Seoul with a stop in Anchorage, had been forced down by Soviet Air Force planes and that all 240 passengers and 29 crew members were believed to be safe.
"But an airline official in Seoul said this afternoon that an explosion might have occurred in midair...
"After its last contact with Japanese air officials at 3:23 a.m. and its disappearance from radar six minutes later, fears were raised that the lane had begun to run out of fuel and might have been forced to ditch in the Pacific.
"Sakhalin, where the plane was believed to have been forced down, is an island off the coast of Siberia. It is considered of strategic importance to the Soviet Union as a military outpost and a departure point for the Soviet navy."
* * * * *
Let's move on to the next day, September 2, 1983, The Rocky Mountain News headlines:
Reagan Demands Answer For 'Horrifying' Jet Attack
Rocky Mountain News wire service
"President Reagan, demanding a "full and immediate explanation," Thursday assailed the Soviet attack on a Korean airliner that killed 269 people as a "horrifying act of violence" and dispatched sophisticated AWACS surveillance aircraft to search for the wreckage.
"All 269 passengers aboard a Korean Air Lines jumbo jet died when the airliner was shot down with a heat-seeking missile from a Soviet warplane, U.S. officials said.
"The commercial airliner strayed over Kremlin defense outposts on islands near Japan, the officials said."
The New York Times, September 2, 1983:
U.S. Says Soviet Downed Korean Airliner; 269 Lost; Reagan Denounces 'Wanton' Act
President Demands Explanation For 'Horrifying Act of Violence'
"Santa Barbara, Calif., Sept 1 - President Reagan expressed revulsion today at the reported downing of a Korean Air Lines plane off the Soviet Coast."
* * * * *
Let's read that sentence again: President Reagan expressed revulsion today at the reported downing of a Korean Air Lines plane off the Soviet Coast.
Are we to believe that Ronald Reagan expressed revulsion over something that is "reported" to have happened? Are we to believe that with all the sophisticated equipment this nation has funded from planes to encryption devices, and everything in the arsenal of the NSA and DoD, that Reagan reacted with intense outrage over something that has only been "reported?" We're to believe that the President of the United States of America didn't really know what happened - and, this - two full days later - I'm supposed to believe this malarkey? Either the plane was shot down or it wasn't and the President would darn well know the truth. Once you read Incident at Sakhalin, you'll understand why I say this.
When one considers that this government has repeatedly lied to the American people on one issue after another and that sometimes we don't find out the truth about certain things until 50 years later, I would say that due to the enormity of the Ruskies holding a U.S. Congressman back in 1983 right at the time of important talks between the U.S. and Russia, that we have been lied to for political expediency. We also have to remember this was 16 years ago, before FOX news, before CNN and the Internet capability we have today. There was ample time and strong-arming to get the cover-up in place, i.e. withdrawing troops from the 32nd Parallel and foreign "aid."
Do you really think that the Vice President of Korean Air Lines just hopped a plane to go negotiate for the return of the passengers if there wasn't something solid to make Mr. Choong-keun get on a flight? Come on. You can bet a number of people were notified that the plane set down either on Sakhalin or right off-shore, the passengers were alive and it was time for tea and talk. Remember Mr. Choong-keun's statement: "I cannot tell how the plane came to land on Sakhalin...." In his own mind, he was positive the plane had landed and he was on his way to see about the passengers. Do you think Mr. Choong-keun became the vice-president of an airline company because he's stupid?
While Mr. Choong-keun was preparing to head for Sakhalin, already there was talk, at least to UPI, that American officials would join in on the negotiations for return of the passengers. Are we to believe that the Korean Broadcasting Service "quoting government officials" that the jumbo jet landed at Sakhalin at 4 a.m. was just a big lie put out? What purpose would that serve? Remember, this is within a few hours after the incident when everything was happening at once - just like OKC, just like TWA flight 800. The Ruskies forced another KAL flight down in 1978 - they didn't shoot it down - they accompanied it to a forced landing. How come they just decide to blast this one out of the sky? Read Incident at Sakhalin and you'll see what was really going on over that island.
Notice the details provided in all coverage on September 1st, yet the next day, suddenly all that is pushed aside in favor of the Russians blasting the plane out of the sky. Not consistent at all, just like OKC and TWA Flight 800. Suddenly in all these horrible events, those who saw things, actually didn't' see them at all. Only "government officials" know or see anything. There were all kinds of speeches and blustering done by America and the Ruskies but in the end, the cover-up was firmly jelled where it has remained for 16 years and 4 months.
The New York Times piece September 1st adds that an airline official in Seoul said that afternoon that an explosion might have occurred in midair. Which airline official? Remember, the vice- president of KAL is already on his way to negotiate for the return of the passengers.
Remember the Rocky Mountain News and New York Times on September 2nd stating that the United States had sent all this sophisticated AWACS surveillance aircraft and so forth to search for the wreckage? If you read Incident at Sakhalin, you know this was nothing more than pap for the people who had no way to verify anything being said.
I will say this: Somewhere out there in America are the military personnel who were immediately involved with this incident and they know the truth. I don't care what rank you are, retired or active, for the love of God and the suffering of those family members, if you are reading this, please come forward. Things have a way of traveling on the Net and I pray that those who know the truth will step forward. You took an oath. What if it were your family member? Lord, we can't just continue throwing away American lives for political expediency or this nation will stand for nothing.
You can make up your own mind about this incident. I do encourage you to read Incident at Sakhalin and War Scare; share the cost of acquiring these books with a friend. Once you read those books, coupled with the report in my original piece from Mr. Shifrin and these early wire services reports, one must conclude that a cover-up was immediately put in place to hide what happened between U.S. military planes and Soviet Migs. I believe without any doubt that 63 Americans, the other passengers and crew of KAL 007 were taken as hostages and are still being held by the lying Russians. In 1983, the hard-line commies were in control of that country (they still are, actually, along with the Russian Mafia) and to believe anything they said, then or now, is beyond foolish.
The New York Times articles I obtained from microfilm at the Sacramento Public Library. My daughter obtained the Rocky Mountain News articles from microfilm in Denver. I could have looked at the Washington Post, LA Times or other papers from those two days but I feel confident they pretty much say the same thing since they all get basically the same material over the wire services. If you have a big library in your area that carries newspapers on microfilm, you can go read these articles yourself. Between the two papers for the two days, I have about 46 pages of material.
My original article can be found at:
https://devvy.com/kal007_19991120.html
If you haven't seen Cover-Up in Oklahoma, I have copies of the video for $15.00. This is the updated edition which contains the statement of Jane Graham, a survivor who saw some things that have made her fear for her life. I would like you to read the headlines blasted across the front page of the New York Times, April 20, 1995, the day after the bombing:
At Least 31 Are Dead, Scores Are Missing After Car Bomb Attack In Oklahoma City
Wrecks 9-Story Federal Office Building
"A car bomb went off with a thunderous explosion here this morning, ripping through a Federal office building......
The Denver Post, April 20, 1995: Terror Hits Heartland
"A car bomb exploding at curb side with the force of battleship guns tore away......
This truth held up for 48 hours and then magically, when no one standing right there at the scene saw anything different, we then had a 4,800# fertilizer truck bomb bring down the front of the building. I have more than 100 pages I copied at the Denver Public Library a couple years ago on OKC that begin April 20, 1995 through April 23rd and it is remarkable to read the shift of the official stories put out by the media - told to them by people who work for this criminal syndicate in Washington, DC they call "our" government. The real killers remain free.
I don't mean to re-open the pain for the families of the 63 Americans who were on board KAL 007 but we must get the truth on this and all passengers, if still alive, returned to their home land and their families.