KOREA: Careful Response to an Accident

• Share

(2 of 2)

Carter got word of the tragedy while at a state dinner for visiting West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. The President remained at the party. But National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski rounded up Pentagon Chief Harold Brown and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and headed to the Situation Room of the White House to study possible U.S. responses. Joining the session an hour later, Carter ordered that the initial U.S. reaction be conciliatory. Thus Press Secretary Powell announced that "any penetration of North Korean airspace that may have taken place was unintentional and regrettable."

Explained Carter the next morning:

"We are trying to let [the North Koreans] know that we realize the mistake was made by the crew in going into the DMZ. Our primary interest is in having the incident not escalate into a confrontation." This careful response contrasted sharply with President Gerald Ford's reaction to last year's ax killings of the two U.S. officers. The carrier Midway steamed into Korean waters, B-52s flew simulated bombing runs near the DMZ and U.S. troops in South Korea went on "increased alert status."

Troop Withdrawal. The North Korean reaction was also unexpectedly restrained. Pyongyang's official Central News Agency acknowledged that the Chinook's violation of North Korea's airspace might have been "unintentional." The key factor that helped to keep the situation cool was that Washington and Pyongyang both want to avoid an increase in tensions that might delay the departure of U.S. troops from South Korea. At week's end, Carter welcomed Schwanke's release and the return of the bodies. But Press Secretary Jody Powell said the President "deplored the loss of life and the excessive reaction to an unarmed and inadvertent intrusion."