MISSING PLANE/JAPAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000200860009-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: September 7, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200860009-5
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
7 September 1983
MISSING PLANE/ BROKAW: Good evening. It was a war of words between the United
JAPAN States and the Soviet Union on the shooting down of Korean
Airli-re's Flight 007. The Soviet foreign minister insisted the
plane was on a special mission for the United States, but a
spokesman for President Reagan said, 'The evidence is as plain
as the nose on your face that it was a civilian passenger
plane.'
BROKAW: At the White House, President Reagan's spokesman and
advisers would have none of the Soviet explanation. Chris
Wallace has been talking to a lot of them, and he tells us
tonight that they're confident the Soviets know much more than
they're saying.
WALLACE: Government sources tell NBC News that less than one
hour after that Korean airliner was shot down, the U.S.
intercepted communications between Soviet ground crews in the
area in which the Soviets discussed having shot down a passenger
plane. The communications between Soviet installations were
picked up by highly sensitive U.S. intelligence equipment, and
sources tell NBC News that the Soviets discussed 'in a very
matter-of-fact way' having shot down a passenger plane. The
government sources say this is one more piece of evidence that
contradicts the official Soviet story. Last night a Soviet
government statement on television said the Soviet pilots could
not know that it was a civilian aircraft. Despite the new
evidence, White House spokesman Larry Speakes slightly backed
off his charges against the Soviets. Yesterday, Speakes said
the U.S. has irrefutable evidence that the Soviets knew they
were shooting down a civilian airliner, but today Speakes
changed that to practically irrefutable evidence, saying it
stretches the imagination to believe the Soviets made a mistake.
Government sources say the reason for this back-off is that even
with the interception of Soviet.grounds communications, the U.S.
still lacks one important piece. of proof, a clear statement by
the Soviets before the attack that they knew they were going r
after a passenger plane. Chris Wallace, NBC News, at the White
House.
Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200860009-5