INTELLIGENCE ON CRASH OF AIR INDIA CONSTELLATION

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03441266
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: July 13, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 25, 2022
• Case Number: F-2021-00652
• Publication Date: April 28, 1955

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This doeument oensists of I pogo*
L of cotxtos* ioriss A4
isulkiset# lactoth4onais t or 414ir India
genstollati an
Attaohod beToto is a Clit summary of Intel
ammo on the April Ilth orastq of the 4r tnas
International ,411mtallstian nashmir i'rinaoss *
Our plan la to arrange ft xvbstint the first
part of lout wok to hove i;iA bring us apowtom
date on derolot�o sinas thisammary Inca prow
parody particularly an furlhor moults of Jaw
vosti4etlans and laterregatiens of surclvors*
As stated*
Pleher Hews
Deputy
At12T4,...6;,,
col uft r. Higgs (wicatt)
ST - me. Mon
OIR Ur Weans
INFUrnassnpf 08/155
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April 26. 1955
BECKET
5
This document emmiste of.5 pores
Copyzi: UI j copies, Gopra from
CIA dooument.
MASA OF Al.R IN-I, r:OUST1.
The Foreign Office of the Peeples Republic of Chine nt1fiet the
British Chests in Peiping on 10 April. at 0130 hours 0.141. (09)0 hours
Hone gang time) that the Chinese NatiOualitta might make trouble far a
party of =netts Communists scheduled to fly from Axig .v.:otv7. to Randune
ry4 11 April. The Britiah authorities in l!onp..7 Fone were accordingly
notified by the British Charge, and orraneftmeete were mprle for eTeciel
Security prioaationt at the long 'Kate! airport* It shouLl te noted, in
this connection, that in a collo to the Rritish Foreize office, the Charge
indicates that he wee slerted to the possibility of demonstrations, not
of sabotage.
At the time of the notiTiatt,.the Chineae Commmniets did �not pro.
vide the Charge with any cetai1s atout�eatioated, times Of arrival end
departure of the aircraft, .the airline to be wed, tit', route to be fol.
leeed6 the name and number of .pmeeengera� etc. The British requested
this information at Lhat time,. They. received no further eor(1 in ?oillin8
except that the airline would be Indian, and that further details would
be prodded in Hong Kong,
It is of intertst to note that the Chinese t pplieo no further in.
formation until 0323 hours C.U.T. (1120 hours on Kong time) an 11 April
eten the New China News Agency (MCNA) Informed the Hong on 1!;ollea that
11 Chinese journalAtta and a Vietminh delegate would be leaving ilong 4ang
for Pandang that afternoon. Urination was made by the AMA to the Ulm
Tour authoritiea of sny easPielion of troahle.
The plane, the Air India International (ATI) Oemstellstioc sir
Princess" arrived at fion.r, Xemt, at 0415 hoar* 041.10 (1215 hours dong gong
time) 15 minutes tehlmd ishedala* It was reported by the "Times of India�
on 16 April that the tleahmir Princesses had had engine trouble inbound
from Sinigaimm to Besbayt but that the &feet wee promptly repaired. The
airline admits slight enzine trona* developed in Bombay, but demos the
story of two witnesses Ihat there was a delay in the task* off from Bomber
because of an argument betestutht air and rTimaulerews about the *rant.
airworthiness. To support of the story alys:at the arument� one witness
reported tha4,, the iTouM.4. encineer, Karnik eolunttered to accomPlanar
the flight to dieprove tht pilot's claim. He :lid accompany the flight
Air India International (AII) attributed the delay in Bombay to the
Ices of *urine revolutions an prc4-takeoff runp-aps This was corrected
accordinc to AIT officials antl Indian civil aviation inspeetors. No
liffieulties were reported enroute to Hong ?'ene� but an Unition distal
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C !' T
en the nagher too. eneina sea chaad OD arrival there. The plane
0 7.1. long .at .314,5 C.U.T. (]21 Ciitilme) ltiore
itpicked up the ..:e.15%envers and departed at 0526 0.M.T. (1326 hour. aoty
Nov tine). Durint; itF stay at the. Rant row;: a-rport th$ plane vas under
police 'rd under it'-w command of an inspector an.. no unauthorized pereon
WAS Lalosed (or ettempttd) to approach. The officials at the ,A II *ors
present end supervised cvery aspect of. refueling and eervicinr. The How
!Conc. Engineering. Co. (iASSO), math employs. Chia t Communist Union members',
ad the aotuti maintenance cheek and refueling. tA7: crew lenbor s's on
the plane at al t4a*... All beanie in4 luuLege WRA hanAled by the China
Travel nervice, a Communist spawn shieh bed onde all arrangement. for the
peeeencere. The_anlr_mrticles place: on board the aircraft sure the 111f-
gafe andliftgeee.belanginf to the and normol rofrethments. The
latter vat checked. 14,- the steward of the aircraft. The 3ritish have various.
ly reported that there were 27 pliaMMO of 1ee and 6 boxes and that thare
were 37 pienes of loggese and 2 boxes,
The passengers, IWO broucht to the aLrport in an c�rlica bus and,
contrar7 to normal praetices welt ttken to the plane without coin,: throw))
customs or *migration formalitieH. The lojeago maa likesiee taken to the
plane and leaded direct under the superytsioo of All. he plane took off
etthouttneident at AboUt 0526 hours 4324 hours llon47. Konti
Information hoe been rectived from A ft-.ttiSh thrwh an
Indonesian liaison officer in Vicar, retv that at the tile the plane WAS
en route tot. and while it was at, Meng the Chines(' Comauw.,sts were
recokttint the good offices of .tht Indona$ipe Consulate to oscura paitAgt
fOr ether neammes *ad taltgatet 411. Cathay Pteific Alma7;e ratd. (Ci.) end
other airlines. A Conatellrtitn acortIodates eiroximately 50-70 TNOCtiri,-
jall; there were 11 padvenger th19 f1144..
iftar tht fliht cleared long !Cone tn route to INC csra.t4 there
report o trouble � in fact. normal report goo reeevod,.accardinc
th,e njakarte airport authorities ten minutes *tore the nr.
At o953 boar* 4.174.T. .(175) hours itone !t4str tine) on 11 �kpril the British
Authorities report rsocipt of the firet distress *Una, thospoeitizin of
this aircraft sr theh.eiven as 101 Tease north:tfXuehiug�
The British authorities report that *t. NAF wee alerted two mi
later and its first atreraft taz strborna one hour end 2S minutes. later.
A Apt.= launcerwas .thepslohed 47 ablates after receipt of the einl. At
0125 hours Gast. (O825 boors acew! Tow, time) a. long-ransa voice broadeeet
Vas intercepted from the. fiTaYpe .(a small ship of .Pritish rejttry whose
mister and other officer* are European presulead to be tritiah) reportint
ehe
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UCH KT
2he had. NM an airoreft orash in flames and that one 'bag of mail4
had hese resod. At 0240 hours 0,4�Tir (1040 hours HOug Ur% time)
the "palm*" reported�the position of tha .orashod plane as 100 L.,
3.53 I, (off Great AMMO* Island about 250 rliles Northeast of Singa..
pore in Intionosion motors)* She pieked up the survivors and they were
trinsehipped to 446 "Dampier" off Zolor Wend.
HMS "Deagier" then took the survivors. to 4ingapore, whore the ship
was immedietely boarded by /Miens. Zhe British slain that they did not
interrogate the survivors en route to Singepore* Alen the survivor*
arrived they were reliably reported to have been instructed by a looal
iodian repweeentative not to talk to anyone to elaim to be suffering
Pram shook* They were almost immediately taken to the navel hospital,
where they were watohed over tv pollee.
At 0700 heuxe G*141, (1500 houre hong Kong time) on 12 April, the
first Ii.uters despatoh� quoting Indonesian souroes� was broadesst Prom
Djakarta., This use followed by a touter* piek-up.frow Mb-gaper.. at
1117 fours Geatav (1137 hours dong Kong time),
At 1338 hours Ti. (2136 hours Hong Kona time) the first EAtuters
deepateh as broodeast* bhof.tly after 2000 hours clt. an 12
(0400 hours klieg Kong tine, 13 Jtpril) the PCrst 4hinose c;ommunist mum
report was breedeasto attributing the crash to U*S*-inetisated sabotage*
The teat of the CW Foreign Aniatry statetant charging oyS..chieng Kai.ehek.
sabotavalevebroadoast at 2040 hours G.,44'.# 12 April 014100 hour. Hong.
Koog time* 18 April).
Thms the lapsed time between the 6m: and the first =EA statement
wee r hours and 7 minutes; the lapsed tiNe between the oteorkation of
the survivors and the NCNA statem,Antwas 7 hours and 7 minutes; the
Weed time between the first iieuters breedeast and the NCNA. statement
was O hours* ho Wroadoast is locos to have been made indleetinz whether
there were any survivors prior to the firet.Chiness jireadoest*
question thee arises *Wafter theGhinese would have risked aush
sad eireboat charges ef eibotage and intent to murder without foreknowledge.
that, even if there were survivors, the there* of sabotage could not bo
proved to be demonstrably false*
The "Dampier returned to the site of the Grath on the 15th* ond
efffred her isaistonse ia diving* This IOUs aeoepted and diving operations
andertokesay Three bodies were reoovered� but the 'Mritish report that no
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was found ef the of the drash* Two Indonesian bests ewe
the sit, of the snob with diver* in sot:We *hen the "Dempher"
returned to the scene. seeerding to is Lookheod �Masa who had obtained
the information froa a senior All effteial* Aesording to the same *purses
Revel Navy diver* from the *Dampier� brought up wreehago samples Prole
the *trona* sod termed these ever to the angepore polio, to hold ter the
Latoaseten intlegorities, it anympere or soil were reeovered by either
Britt's& er lidonesian divers, wisher" mot boon inferred by the British*
There is, to date, no informetiOn Available here eencerning the
evente leatieg up to the eresh byroad a report by Walk' quoted by AII,
that there OW a dull *led or ruffled implosion in the baggage oompar4.
meat fellewed by bleOh *Awoke in the **bin and eserkpit* Ihis loforastion
woo obtained Prom both British sad Wien **wens, amd derived rram the
Olidommee_atAiko survities Indian grimed eoginoer,
The prognosis ter relieble final 4.t.rixiattcim of the *steal *reuse
appears to be dim. The flatenesises were at first reported to be adamant
in their determination to oaten* the salvege operations themselves' the
British Ailey wes reported not to believe that the Indonesians have the
proper equipment* The British Very now reports that their mainr Indonosias
Insitatioo, pertioipate is the ealvago operetioas, Lockheed eeperts in
znau seat. that sties. one of 0.1r man is present It will be teposeible
to dertervine the exact sense et the �rash* The chime*. Lnspeoter detailed
to work with the British an the Bing !tong investigation stated that the
Chinese seehamies have reseed to answer questions* As of news at least
ot the Leetheed emperts believes that the *rash *es eseeed by elhot*B40
The British Foreign 011ie, appears to be eurvineed that there is e strong
poesibility that the instigetors were the Chimes* C� ate.
At the prompt %Les any senelusions whioh night be drew can at best
be regarded as tentative beeauee we have only fragmentary or no inform.
time on the tollsoiegs
(a) the results of the projest *pert tnvesti*ticn of the
wreaked planes
(b) oftletel floperte en the iaterrogatiee of the survirkrea
(s) the *Atolls of the Sritish investigation at Bong Bongs
(4) elsports 12% or 'espies of the deeuesate reeevered at the
eeeae of the erealig
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i,e) Definitive in:emotion on who would hove bad an oppor-
tunity to interrogate tho survivors as well a* Trbeni and under
what Otsimossteneest
(1) Stoerophieel information en tho inidial4aals of tho
YariOMO governments ooncernod lobo axa participating in tbe
effletol inreeti times
Daring the first week following the crash the Chine** Communtat
roil. *meted IS per oast ofSowo ;:ierviee items to the Insides* and SO per
oent of their Intornottenol .,or1too,0 This to approximately *los tbo denestio
coverage devoted tO Heiziaa plane ineident et July leltienod slightly lees
in the Loternatiseal z4rvies�
The akin**, international propaganda seems di:stood to sableve at
least three *ado. Firsts te embarrass theiritish authorities. to CIAUMO then
to SoOpOOt the U.S.. and wake thee appear, bosons. ef their alloged whits
mesh of the U.0444.10, be s satellite it the 1i4Se in tho oywe of the Asian end
Airtoen notions, Soeond to absolve the leitans, but to make then *poser to
be deilatlY moolleed br th4 U.S. Oeverneentond the 400
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