NIXON ACKNOWLEDGES AMERICAN JAILED IN CHINA IS C.I.A. AGENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00764R000300070001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 6, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: NSPR

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By ERIC PACE
Special to Ths New York Times
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -
When John T. Downey was a
Yale senior in 1951, a classmate
later recalled, a Central Intel-
ligence Agency recruiter visited
the campus.
"Purely as a hypothetical"
possibility, the visitor men-
tioned that the C.I.A. might
want to organize resistance in
mainland China.
Mr. Downey went on to be-
come a C.I.A. agent, as Presi-
dent Nixon noted today, ap-
parently the first public con-
firmation of the fact.
Mr. Downey became a pris-
oner of the Chinese Commu-
nists after his military aircraft
was forced down in Chinese
territory in 1952, during the
Korean war. And the classmate,
Prof. Jerome Alan Cohen of
the Harvard Law School, later
said Mr. Downey had under-
taken the "Hypothetical" mis-
sion.
A native of New Britain,
Conn., Mr. Downey was men-
tioned by a questioner at to-
day's Presidential news con-
ference after Mr. Nixon had
briefly discussed the cases of
two American fliers being held
by China.
Sentence Cut to 5 Years
Mr. Downey's name was
brought up by a newsman and
the President disclosed that the
prisoner was a C.I.A. agent.
The President noted that Mr.
Downey's-sentences of 30 years
had been commuted to five
years, an action that the
Chinese announcement in 1971.
Mr. Nixon said he had "no as-
surance" that Mr. Downey
would be freed before finish.
ing his sentence but that the
United States had made known
its hope that such action would
be taken. [Question 15, Page
20].
On another question of the
two American flyers being held
prisoner in China, Mr. Nixon
said that "we have every rea-
son to believe that these flyers
being held prisoner in China,
Mr. Nixon said that "we have
every reason to believe that
these flyers will be released on
the initiative of the People's
Republic of China as the P.O.W.
situation is worked out in Viet-
nam." [Question 14].
The President did not men-
tion the fliers by name, but he
was understood to be referring
to Capt. Philip E. Smith of the
Air Forcq%, and Lieut. Comdr.
Robert J. Flynn of the Navy.
Richard G. Fectcau, who was
Associated Prase
John T'. Downey
971, together with Mary An
arbert, who was seized in Ch
ese waters in April, 1961,
hile on a pleasure cruise.
Both Mr. Fecteau and M .
owney were officially ident -
ied at the time they were fire
own as civilian employes
he United States Army.
When he was freed, Mr. Fe
au said that during his 19 yea
f imprisonment in China '
as in solitary for so muc
ime I'm not used to convers
ion." He said, "you get use
o" solitary confinement, the
dded, "That's my problem."
Mr. Fecteau said he had bee
a prison camp in or ne
eking and that the only oth
risoners in his cell block wer
their Americans. He said the
eluded the two officers an
Ir. Downey.
Captain Smith was shot dow
uring a reconnaissance mi
ion in 1965. Lieutenant Plyn
as downed during a missio
vet North Vietnam In 1967.
T2
CPYRGHT
aboard Mr. Downey's aircraft,
when it was forced down, was
d For Release 19 , 'I 764ROO0300070001-2