NORTH VIETNAMESE PROTESTS OVER ALLEGED AIRSPACE INTRUSION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP76B00734R000200020006-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: March 16, 1973
• Content Type: MFR

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP76B00734R000200020006-2
16 March 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: North Vietnamese Protests over Alleged Airspace
me by my associate
1. Per our 15 March conversation, attached is a note sent
that no such slips have occurred.
2. As you probably know, OLYMPIC MEET and
OLYMPIC TORCH missions are flown with SAC-controlled
U-2s. The TORCH tracks run well out into the Gulf so unless there
was egregious (unadmitted) pilot error on one of them, a TORCH
mission could not have intruded within the 12-mile buffer zone, let
alone over North Vietnamese territory. The MEET tracks snuggle
considerably closer to the buffer line. The possibility of inadvertant
error (or erroneous ground -- i. e. , North Vietnamese -- plotting of
a U-2's position) is thus commensurately greater, particularly in
the case of offshore islands which are easy to clip a little close.
Our uniformed colleagues who fly these planes, however, insist
3. I talked to this morning who said he had
in hand the memorandum on the GIANT SCALE overflight request
we sent down last night, it was exactly what Henry wanted and would
probably be sent to the President. Dick said he had flagged the point
I raised in last night's phone call about our inability to guarantee
no inadvertant intrusion into Chinese airspace, particularly as the
aircraft was turning near Dong Dang. In our conversation, Dick
agreed with my opinion that -- given the current state of Sino-U. S.
relations -- the Chinese would probably be fairly relaxed about any
small airspace intrusions that were clearly inadvertant and non-hostile.
IJIJ/s& I
FILE COPY
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP76B00734R000200020006-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP76B00734R000200020006-2
SE CPET 25X1
4. Dick confirmed that receipt of the GIANT SCALE package
clears our board on pre-Acapulco departure requests from Henry.
Ge ge A. Carver, Jr.
Special Assistant for Vietnamese Affairs
O/DCI/SAVA:GACarver/mee
Orig - DCI
1-DDCI
1 - DDO
1 - DDI ~/
1 - DDS &T `~
25X1
SEC 1Er 1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP76B00734R000200020006-2