CARD DIVISION [H.A.S.C. No. 91–10] INQUIRY INTO THE U.S.S. PUEBLO AND EC-121 PLANE INCIDENTS COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FIRST SESSION MARCH 4, 5, 6, 10, 14, 17, 19, 20, APRIL 25, AND 28, 1969 72-60253 [Pages of all documents printed in behalf of the activities of the House gress. Page numbers lower than those in this document refer to other 37-066 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1969 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES NINETY-FIRST CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION L. MENDEL RIVERS, South Carolina, Chairman PHILIP J. PHILBIN, Massachusetts BILL NICHOLS, Alabama ROBERT H. MOLLOHAN, West Virginia JORGE L. CÓRDOVA, Puerto Rico WILLIAM H. BATES, Massachusetts ROBERT T. STAFFORD, Vermont G. WILLIAM WHITEHURST, Virginia JOHN R. BLANDFORD, Chief Counsel SPECIAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON U.S.S. PUEBLO LUCIEN N. NEDZI, Michigan ALTON LENNON, North Carolina WILLIAM G. BRAY, Indiana FRANK M. SLATINSHEK, Assistant Chief Counsel For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office HEARINGS BEFORE THE SPECIAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE U.S.S. "PUEBLO” ON THE U.S.S. "PUEBLO" AND EC-121 PLANE INCIDENTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SPECIAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON U.S.S. PUEBLO, Washington, D.C., March 4, 1969. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Otis G. Pike (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. PIKE. The committee will come to order. Let the record show at this time the presence of Mr. Nichols, Mr. Brinkley, Mr. Bray, Mr. Hall, and Mr. Whitehurst. Mr. Lennon, I should say, is absent because of a death in the immediate family. This special subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee was appointed by Chairman Rivers on February 18, 1969, with instructions to ascertain the national security implications implicit in the loss of the U.S.S. Pueblo, the requirement for corrective action both administratively and legislatively, and the requirement for possible changes in the code of conduct for military personnel who are captured by hostile enemy forces. The membership of this subcommittee represents a broad range of philosophy, from quite liberal to quite conservative, and there are many things on which we may not agree. There are, however, things on which we do agree, and in order to provide a frame of reference for our witnesses and to limit the area of our inquiry at the outset, it might be useful to put a few of them on the record. First, we are agreed that in the latter third of the 20th century military intelligence gathering, both overt and covert, is a necessity. This does not mean that we are agreed that the mission of the Pueblo was a necessity. That, we ask to be shown. Second, we are agreed that the facts of what happened to the Pueblo, her officers, and her crew are sufficiently well known. We have asked the Navy for access to the full transcript of the testimony before the court of inquiry, and after some initial reluctance on their part, we have received it. The Secretary of Defense has been most helpful in this regard. Accordingly, it is not our present intention to require the presence of Commander Bucher or any of his crew to tell us what happened. We have, on the other hand, extended an invitation to any of them who might like to testify before a non-Navy inquiry to do so. We are agreed that it is not so much our function to determine what happened as why. Third, we are agreed that it is in the public interest that the testimony which we receive shall, to the utmost extent possible, be heard in open session. We anticipate objections to this on several grounds and again, simply to establish a frame of reference, you should know our thinking on this. 37-066-69-No. 10- -1 |