TRANSCRIPT OF SOVIET OFFICIAL’S STATEMENT AND EXCERPTS FROM NEWS SESSION MARSHAL CALLS FLIGHT 7 A ‘PROVOCATION PERPETRATED BY U.S. SECRET SERVICES’
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Sept. 10, 1983
TRANSCRIPT OF SOVIET OFFICIAL’S STATEMENT AND EXCERPTS FROM NEWS SESSION MARSHAL CALLS FLIGHT 7 A ‘PROVOCATION PERPETRATED BY U.S. SECRET SERVICES’
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Following are a full transcript of an opening statement and excerpts from the questions at a news conference in the Foreign Ministry Press Center in Moscow yesterday, as recorded by The New York Times. The conference was held by Marshal Nikolai V. Ogarkov, chief of the Soviet General Staff, with Viktor Litvinsky translating from the Russian.

OPENING STATEMENT
The nature of the provocation perpetrated by the U.S. secret services in the Soviet Far East on the night of Sept. 1 and the character of the actions taken in this connection by the Soviet Air Defense Forces were presented with utmost clarity in the statement of the Soviet Government on Sept. 6 and in a Tass report made earlier on instructions from the Government.

Today we are giving a press conference with due account of the findings of a careful investigation of all the circumstances of what happened conducted by the Soviet side. I must say frankly that, in view of the importance of what took place, the Soviet Government established on the same day a special highly competent state commission. It included responsible specialists and experts of different departments, in particular, the State Aviation Inspection of the U.S.S.R. – Gosavianadzor. The commission has produced a report. I rely in my statement on the facts and conclusions presented by the commission. It has been proved irrefutably that the intrusion of the plane of the South Korean airlines into Soviet airspace was a deliberate, thoroughly planned intelligence operation. It was directed from certain centers in the territory of the United States and Japan. A civilian plane was chosen for it deliberately, disregarding or, possibly, counting on loss of human life. Hence the grave consequences of this extraordinary ”incident,” as it is referred to in the Western press. Naturally, all responsibility for what happened rests wholly and fully with its organizers. Stages of the Flight

Now allow me to go over to factual data on individual stages of that provocative flight. Have a look at the map.

The first stage is the beginning of the flight. Then soon after the plane took off from the stopover airfield at Anchorage, Alaska, it did not follow the established international route but it assumed a course toward Kamchatka. At the moment of detection of the plane equipped with electronical devices in the vicinity of the Petropavlovsk base, its deviation from the course was already about 500 kilometers and its whole flight evidently was proceeding at all times under the surveillance of electronic devices and flight control systems controlled by Americans.

To lose a plane under these conditions and to allow such a major deviation from the internationally accepted routes is – must be excluded as an error. This error should have been and why hasn’t – why wasn’t it corrected. This question is still – remains unanswered still. We haven’t received an answer to this question yet. Moreover, it is well known that international routes is well saturated with electronics devices in securing flights. Nearly 12,000 flights proceed regularly along this route. Responsibility for the security of those flights from Alaska to the eastern tip of Kamchatka Peninsula. The radio electronic control system of the United States is responsible. Passing Control Points

Moreover, control points are – several different control points are firmly picked on that route. While approaching and passing those control points, every plane is obligated – I – let me stress it – it is obligated to identify itself and report to ground control centers. In this case it was the control point in Alaska. And ground control centers have the obligation to consult precisely the flights on at those points. Why, in this situation, did the Korean plane passage through those control points and then its absence from the regular flights has not produced – did not produce the alarm among the Japanese and American control services? And this question, too, remains unanswered to this time.

Moreover, let me turn your particular attention to the fact that the departure of the plane – the entry of the plane into the zone controlled by the Russian Air Defense Forces occur specifically at the point at which – in which American RC-135 planes regularly operate? And on that very route – flight route – an RC-135 was found by the Soviet forces on Sept. 1 by the Soviet radio electronics surveillance devices. The plane operated in that area for about two hours.

At 4 P.M., exactly in the same area approximately like the other drew up 8,000 kilometers, another airplane was detected. At 5, those two planes rendezvoused and for some time, approximately for 10 minutes in that region, they were flying side by side. Then one of them could be observed, followed by the radios, turned back and flew to Alaska while the second plane went straight to Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka. Strategic Naval Base

This led the American – the Soviet control points to the result that an American airplane was entering the Russian airspace. Let me ask the question: What was the point, what was the point of that entry? Obviously, the flight of this plane was being controlled – precisely controlled, I would state, and it was deliberate – that entry was deliberate.

The second stage, the actions of the intruder plane above Kamchatka. At 5 minutes – at 1510, the plane was over Kamchatka Peninsula over a strategic naval base. It did not respond to inquiries from control – from Soviet control services. At that time, the short signals regularly used for passing information on the radiowaves were emitting from the plane. Attempts to contact the plane at a fixed international frequency, 121 megacycles, were made to contact the plane and it was decided to bring the plane to – force the plane to land on the nearest airfield. However, the intruder plane was departing.

The third stage. The actions in this stage became defiant. No matter what attempts to contact it – to contact it were made, it did not respond to signals from Soviet interceptor planes. Moreover, it began to maneuver, changing its speed and altitude of flight, obviously trying to evade the Soviet airplane. It is characteristic that at 6:02, 1802 local time, the intruder, as can be seen on the chart, sharply altered its course and again approached positions of our anti – Air Defense Forces base. There was no doubt then that the reconnaissance – that it was a reconnaissance plane. In the southwestern – when the plane was over the southwestern portion of the peninsula, the final attempt was made to force it – to force the plane down. 120 Warning Shots

Four rounds of warning shots were fired. One hundred twenty cartridges were fired. However, the plane did not yield to these signals but tried to evade in the general direction of Vladivostok at 6:24 local time when it was ordered at that specific point to cut short the flight of the plane using heat-tracing missiles.

The American side is trying in all ways that the Soviet Union, made it – from the very first, made it its goal to destroy that airplane. However, that bizarre accusation is absurd because if that was our goal we were able – we could have destroyed the plane even while it was over Kamchatka even without the use of our fighters, using instead the missiles from SAM- 7’s with the altitude of 20,000 kilometers in the zone in which the plane intruded at that time.

In conclusion, let me turn your attention to the fact that all the incidents – both over Kamchatka and the island of Sakhalin – were taking place in the dead of night at high altitudes following the course of the intruder plane. This flight was cut short at 6:24 local Sakhalin time and dawn at that time – that was done anyway only after the Soviet Air Defense Forces had exhausted all cautionary warnings devices at their disposal. Their actions proceed in quick compliance with the constitutional rights and laws on border protection. Protection of the borders, including a sovereign country’s airspace, is a sovereign right of each government. The Soviet military forces protecting the peaceful labor of the Soviet Union are always at a high level of military preparedness and during the entire history of the Soviet Government they’ve always honorably fulfilled their duties. And, if necessary, they will execute their missions and will accomplish their combat missions correctly. That’s all I wanted to say. Thank you very much.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q. Explanation of the fact of the – of why the Koreans’ flight appeared appeared in – within the airspace of the Soviet Union.

A. First of all, let me say that the Government – the United States Government – has admitted that the grossest intrusion into the airspace of the Soviet Union did occur. However, Washington up till this time has not provided a single answer – and an answer to a single of a number of questions connected with incident. The question is why did the South Korean airplane, having left the United States territory, soon depart more than 500 kilometers away from the established route, not toward the ocean but in the direction of the Soviet territory? Why, assuming this was a regular passenger flight, did the United States aviation services functioning in their zone did not sound alarms when that airplane abandoned its established – its assigned routes and followed another route towards the Soviet territory. The plane obviously must have been flying toward the Soviet airspace fulfilling a spy mission. Why did the flight of the airplane proceed in no other place but one where important military installations are located? Why did the flight proceed with the infringements – violation of international flying rules and did not come in contact with Soviet ground and air control services? That’s a question that we are entitled to ask the Japanese. Why didn’t they react when the plane did not appear in their zone of responsibility on scheduled time? Why neither American nor Japanese authorities contacted their Soviet counterparts to prevent the tragedy? These questions we have asked them repeatedly should be given an answer not only to us but to the entire world by those who now resort to the claim that this was supposedly a regular commercial flight. However, those people do not answer. They don’t answer because it wasn’t a regular flight. No Contact Made

Q. Who, how and on what channel contacted the Soviet side in connection with the incident?

A. From the very first moment when the plane left Anchorage and soon followed not the accepted assigned international route and then intruded on Soviet airspace and through the final moments of this question, neither American nor Japanese have not – did not contact us on any channel. Ten hours were needed – and only after – and when another 10 hours the representatives of the U.S. Government and the Moscow – and in Moscow the U.S. Embassy addressed us with the question whether we knew anything about the death of the plane. Moreover, Deputy Secretary Burt addressed us, and let me lay extra emphasis on this, said according to the data from American stations, the plane was located someplace – somewhere in the area of Sakhalin. Mr. Burt when he first contacted us supports the position later taken by the American authorities, confirmed the claim that the American control forces deliberately followed that plane over its route over the Soviet territory and that claim can be supported by references from other sources. When first contracting us, the United States Ambassador in Moscow also mentioned the fact that radio contact was kept up until the very last moment with the plane. However, he also said at that time that radio contact was broken while the plane was over the point of one – latitude and longitude is given. That is 600 kilometers away from the point where it actually disappeared. As can be seen, the American attempt to make the ends meet on this incident do not really succeed. The Americans do not want to admit the truth. Indentifying Jumbo Jet

Q. Will you please take a spontaneous question from the floor?

A. Yes, of course,

Q. Why, after tracking that airplane for two and a half hours, were your pilots unable to identify it as a 747 jumbo jet and, secondly, assuming everything that the Soviet Government says is correct, why did the Soviet Union then shoot down a passenger plane with 269 men, women and children aboard?

A. I assume that you have familiarized yourself with the announcement of the Soviet Union. I think you realize why we were tracking this plane for two and a half hours. Let me stress once again that the Soviet side took every step responsible to force the plane to land on one of our Soviet airfields. However, the plane stubbornly ignored all the warnings from the Soviet plane and did not want to answer radio contact. Let me point out to you that the plane proceeded in the same manner as another plane of that Korean airline when it intruded on the Soviet airspace in 1978 in the area of Korea. That was the same pattern of behavior. The Soviet Air Defense Forces made attempts to force it to land but the plane evaded, altered course and tried to evade the Soviet airplane. All possibilities were exhausted and only then the order was given to the Soviet pilots to accomplish their mission. Who Gave the Order?

Q. The Korean plane was about – was in the Russian – in the Soviet airspace for 2 1/2 hours. What contacts were then made between the local control points and Moscow?

A. Soviet Air Defense Forces operated in full contact with the Government’s authorities.

Q. Who gave the order to cut the flight short?

A. The order to the pilots was given by the commander of the Biya region. Role of RC-135

Q. What in your estimation was the role of the United States RC-135 reconnaissance plane which – whose presence in the area was confirmed by the American control services themselves?

A. In this connection there is an official statement of representative who said that the RC-135 was in the airspace – in the Soviet airspace in the vicinity of the Korean plane to monitor the course of the plane. But we know it was certainly not the only goal, for as we can see on this chart – the flight chart – picked by our control services their flights were certainly coordinated so as to make our task more difficult and confused our Air Defense Forces. Moreover, RC- 135 obviously played the control in the initial – in the initial phase, as it can be seen from its charted course. Channels for Contact

Q. What possibility were there for the Soviet and the Korean plane to come in contact – radio contact?

A. There were channels for communication – communication channels more than there were necessary. However, the Japanese services did not contact us using those channels, neither with questions nor with information on this airplane. Although they claimed that they did keep radio contact with their airplane knowing obviously that it was in a location where it shouldn’t be. Why, therefore, even at the point when that airplane suddenly disappeared from their control screen in the region of Sakhalin, why didn’t those channels – why weren’t those channels used? I think that the answer to this question can be only one – and I think that it doesn’t need to be clarified because it’s obvious to everybody. Some Objects Found

Q. Where did you decide to cut short the flight?

A. Over the populated point in Sakhalin. Unfortunately, no bodies have been found and no survivors. We don’t exactly know the area in which the plane came down. However, we were able to find some objects from that flight. Right now, search operations are going in in the area by both Soviet, Japanese and American and South Korean search parties. However, let me repeat, neither survivors nor bodies have been detected up until now.

Q. Why did the Soviet Government wait six days before admitting the fact that it cut short the flight?

A. I suggest that you should read – reread what had been printed by our press – in particular, all the announcements of Tass made until now. Risk of War

Q. I was interested in your comments that the decision to terminate the flight was made by a district commander. Am I to take it that that means that there was no consultation with anybody in Moscow, and by extension does that mean the Soviet Union is willing to risk war with the United States on the decision of a district commander? Second part of that question, can you please tell me when the Politburo and particularly General Secretary Andropov was first notified of this incident.

A. There’s a strict order of command and responsibility for action in such situations in the Soviet Union. How the decision was made, I already told you. The decision was made by the district commander. To derive an analogy based on this leading to a war between the United States and the Soviet Union is simply unacceptable, in my opinion. Soviet Intrusions

Q. U.S. fighters 77 times have – took reconnaissance planes in flight to identify Soviet fighters. But not even once did they shoot at them or nor did they shoot at the civilian plane which was in the American airspace. How come the Korean flight was treated the way it was?

A. The Americans themselves determine what they themselves call the zone of air identification. But this, let me repeat, does not mean that in those 77 cases our airplanes were found in the United States airspace. And, really, since last January until September, no protests were reported to us. Obviously, there have been no intrusions on the United States territory. So we cannot draw a comparison here. Where Plane Fell

Q. Why, till now, the Soviet Union did not report on the clear – on the exact – location?

A. We couldn’t provide an answer on the exact location of where the plane fell down. We don’t know it ourselves. As far as the claims of the Western press that allegedly the Soviet Union is obstructing the efforts of Japanese, American or any other sources to search the location, that’s not correct. Moreover, the Soviet Government reported that fragments, possibly coming from the Korean airplane, that such fragments were found in a classified area and the general location of that – data on the general location of that area was provided. Our planes are conducting search operations too. And there is no need to enter the Soviet territorial waters because the fragments have been found in – at – a considerable distance from the search zone – water zone of the Soviet Union. Tens, dozens of sea vessels of the Soviet Union, Japan and South Korea are operating right now in that region. The Commission’s Report

Q. You said that the basis for your information was a report to the commission. Can the members of the – can the press become familiar with the results of the investigation by that commission.

A. The commission had access to all materials relevant to the incident. All talks – all conversations conducted by control – by air controllers – with the plane – with the aircraft – are recorded and the commission checked and verified all of these documents, checking all the regions that could be relevant to this incident in Kurile Island, Sakhalin and Kamchatka. As far as publication – making them available to the public, well we can say that so far the United States side has published only the intercepted conversation of Russian pilots, but they haven’t published the conversations of the other pilots. And as far as military documentation is concerned, it’s not accepted in the United States – it’s not accepted in the Soviet Union to publish all the texts of conversations that were conducted in connection with this incident. Why Didn’t Soviet Ask?

Q. Two questions. The first one is you’ve said that the channels of communication between Tokyo and Washington and the Soviet Union are perfectly adequate, but were not used by the United States or by Japan to ask about the fate of the plane. Can I ask the Marshall why they were not used in reverse, if they are so adequate, for the Soviet Union to ask either Japan or Washington what the nature of the plane was, and what its mission was, and why it had strayed?

A. I suggest that that contact, that communications channels should have been made by the person responsible for staging this. Even at the time when this plane was leaving Anchorage, they could have contacted us. It has been determined, beyond doubt, that the plane – that the aircraft’s – flight was very carefully controlled. There is no doubt whatsoever. And the Japanese control services had direct accesses and also has access to the zonal command of the Soviet air control command in Khabarovsk while we were trying to find appropriate ways to force the plane to land. Soviet Expresses Grief

Q. Why hasn’t the Soviet Union earlier published in a statement about violation of the Soviet Union’s borders by American planes?

A. I’m certain that you all know that the Soviet Union’s Government has expressed its grief about the deaths of innocent people who were aboard the plane. As far as responsibility and not only financial responsibility is concerned, that falls on those who sent them to their deaths. Referring to President Reagan’s claim that we should apologize, President Reagan should simply turn around and take one look in his mirror and it would become clear to him who should answer questions of this sort. Was It a Mistake?

Q. In the statement on Sept. 6, the claim was made that the Soviet fighter planes could not know that this was a passenger commercial plane. Therefore, could you state that the flight was terminated by mistake?

A. Termination of that flight – of the flight of the intruder plane aircraft was not error. Antiaircraft defense forces attempted to stop – to force it to land using all the capabilities possible and at all command posts of our system complete conviction was achieved we were dealing with a reconnoitering plane. Defense of Airspace

Q. President Reagan claims that supposedly the Soviet Union overemphasizes the defense of its airspace.

A. Let me answer this question. We have already stated that the Sovit airspace have been set in strict compliance with the norms of international law. As far as President Reagan’s claim concerning the presence of the plane in the Soviet airspace, as our Government’s declarations have made clear, this attitude of President Reagan is a demonstration of nonchalance concerning the sovereign rights of a government that sets to choose to protect airspace. Attempts have been made over the last 30 years to invade the Soviet sky. You know the plane U-2 which was involved in military espionage. At that time and the time of that other incident, the President of the United States recovered his manliness and courage and took – accepted the responsibility for the espionage flight, while now – I hope that now, too, there will be people in the Administration of the United States who will find courage to admit that that espionage aircraft was in the strategically sensitive of the United States for specific reconnaissance reasons. Let’s hope that this will come soon. And then it’ll become clear who is actually responsible for this incident. What Hard Evidence?

Q. What hard evidence do you have that this was a reconnaissance plane, not assumptions or deductions – hard evidence?

A. The whole analysis of the behavior of that aircraft, its route, the nature of its flight and our analysis of the interaction between this plane in the Kamchatka area and its choice of course in the direction of the most significant military installations – in the defense installations in the Soviet Union and, finally, a sort of incomprehensible conduct consisting in total ignoring of all warning and cautionary signals on the part of – of the strength of the aircraft of the nation whose airspace it was intruding in. And let me add that all command levels – we reached the total conviction that we were dealing with a reconnaissance plane and we were trying to force it to land in Kamchatka. But when it did not react to 120 warning shots, nothing was left to us but act the way we did. Guarantee on Airliners

Q. Is the Soviet Government ready to present – to make an international guarantee not to shoot down commercial aircraft which in error take a different course. If not, that there is a risk for commercial airliners.

A. Let me say that the statement of the Soviet Union stresses the fact that dozens of international flights are close to the airspace of the Soviet Union. There are thousands of planes operating on those routes and nothing happened to them, although there have been errors, mistakes in flight. However, there is one important difference. In referring to airplanes that happen to make a mistake on their course, that’s different. But when we approach an airplane on a reconnaissance flight, it’s a completely different matter. The point is not in the error made by the other party. What we deal with in such cases is a special deliberate operation and I can officially address the American side: Why to this day they have not responded clearly to my question: Why didn’t they correct the error of the plane when it – for the second time – it entered the Soviet airspace over Kamchatka; why the Americans and Japanese control services failed to sound alerts when it did not contact its control points; why was the RC-135 aircraft accompanying the Korean airplane to confuse the Soviet interceptor planes, and we do not exclude the possibility that it was controlling the flight of the intruder plane. We cannot refer to an error here – an error of a plane that loses its course. It’s absolutely evident it wasn’t a plane that simply lost its way, but it’s a plane, an aircraft sent on a special mission and we have dragged on our activities for two hours and a half and it was only when we were totally convinced that we were dealing with a reconnaissance airplane that was totally ignoring all signals from our control forces. What was left to us? You can ask a question to those who arranged to stage this provocation. So it was acompletely different type of plane, not a plane that was in error. And there is no need of any guarantees on the part of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union honorably and justly fulfills its obligations and never vacillates from them. Washington’s Role

Q. It is known that the jetliner belonged to a Korean airline. It intruded on our Soviet airspace. And the response, however, to that incident was primarily from the White House, which is located pretty far from Korea and from Sakhalin. And all this hullabaloo raised about the plane is raised in Washington. And the sanctions, coming as they do from Washington and the protests come from the United States’ Western allies, all of this sums up to a very strange geographical alignment, indicating the origin of this provocation.

A. We could comment on that, certainly, but considering that we have very little time left, let me say that in this case it is fairly old and primitive method is being applied: the outcry that the guilty person raises in order to divert suspicions from his own person. Report to Soviet People

Q. If the Soviet Union bears no guilt in this affair, as you have said today, why have you not yet told your own people that 269 people died?

A. Why should we know – how would we know how many people were aboard this plane? We were not estimating at all that we were dealing with a passenger plane. We were dealing with a reconnaissance aircraft. So why should we report that there so many people aboard. This is a piece of information known to those who staged this information. And this question should be addressed to them, not to us. How many people were there. Let them figure out on their own. The Soviet Union was unable to know that figure so to report to the Soviet people on the number of persons aboard is simply illogical. Cost of Protecting Border.

Q. Do you think that the protection of the sacred borders of the Soviet Union was worth the lives of 269 persons aboard the jetliner?

A. Protection of the sacred, inviolable borders of our country, and our political system, was worth to us – as you know very well – many, many millions of lives and it was exactly preservation of our borders, of our frontiers and our system and we would not add to the list of those millions the 269 victims of those who victimized those people for reasons other than the defense of the sacred frontiers. Those other people should be asked why.

Q. Why didn’t the Soviet pilot receive the order to terminate the flight after seeing the light signals from the Korean jetliner?

A. The Soviet pilot didn’t see the lights. He fired a warning shot and only after the Korean failed to react, did he fire.

A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 10, 1983, Section 1, Page 4 of the National edition with the headline: TRANSCRIPT OF SOVIET OFFICIAL’S STATEMENT AND EXCERPTS FROM NEWS SESSION MARSHAL CALLS FLIGHT 7 A ‘PROVOCATION PERPETRATED BY U.S. SECRET SERVICES’.