RUSSIA PROBABLY HAS LOST 11 MEN IN SPACE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP69B00369R000200240026-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 16, 2003
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: October 5, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
October 5, 1967
Approved For Release 2003/11/04: CIA-RDP69B00369R000200240026-0
A research associate with Stan-
ford's Hoover Institution on War,
Revolution and Peace, Julius Ep-
stein has been a foreign corre-
o.
spondent and is presently work- 6, 1963, witnesses from the National
ing on a history of forced re-
patriation of anti-Communists to Aeronautics and Space Administration
the Soviet Union after World (NASA), hinted broadly that the So-
War II.
uy JGSt:1S EI)
. viets had suffered various mishaps in
space. But, on.. the ground that the
information is classified, they shied
NEWS ON FATL`UBES of Soviet away from full disclosure.
S
manned space flights is, at'ieast Some Soviet mishaps even became
in part, "managed" by Washington. known to the free world through com-
No American without access to, the munist sources. A few years ago, a
relevant classified information 'can high official of a Czech-Soviet Space
tmow for sure whether the Soviets Research Center in Prague leaked
have suffered fatalities in space. But to an Italian news agency the story
the evidence is clear that Washing- that several Soviet cosmonauts had
Washing- r1ioA in cnenn
about Soviet space accidents.
Rumors that Soviet cosmonauts
were lost have been circulating for
years-long before Vladimir M. KQ-
liioroy file milled Iasi Aptii, iii tii
only fatal accident admitted by Mos-
cow. For example, on Oct. 4, 1965,
electronic news reported "the Rus-
sians have lost 10 cosmonauts, includ-
ing one woman in faulty space shots."
This information was attributed to "a
top NASA official."
In the same year, the celebrated
"Penkovsky Papers" were pub-
lished. Col. Oleg Penkovsky was a
high official in Soviet intelligence,
considered by President Kennedy to
be our best informer inside the USSR.
During the Cuban missile crisis of
1962, President Kennedy relied on
Penkovsky's information about Soviet
missile preparedness. Penkovsky was
caught and executed.
NASA c idn`t say
The Penkovsky book contains two
references to Soviet space fatalities.
"Several Sputniks were launched.. .
and never heard from again. They
took the lives of several trained as-
tronauts." The colonel also asserted:
"There were several unsuccessful
launchings of Sputniks, with men
killed prior to Gagarin's flight. Ei-
ther the missile would explode or, the
launching pad or it would go up and
never return."
Since Penkovsky's information on
Soviet casualties proved to be ac-
curate, there seems to be no reason
to dispute his other disclosures. Tr?
Central Intelligence Agency
the publication of ,the Penkovsky ma-
ter ials.
In hearings befggr
th
ee
e fo
~
~~
__
ations and goaidr!
lla -111
subcommittee on May 23 and _ June
On July 4, 1967, the Moss Act be-
came the law of the land. It stipulates
that unless disclosure would endanger
national security, government infor-
mation should be made available to
the American people.
The act amplifies Executive Order
10501, issued by President Eisenhow-
er on Nov. 5, 1953, in that it author-
izes court action to force release of
such information.
It is hard to see how information
about Soviet space failures could hurt
the United States. Nor is there any
emergency which, to