ملحق

Secret Memorandum from Admiral R.H. Hillenkotter

Director of Central Intelligence, to President Truman

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

WASHINGTON 25, D.C.

12 April 1948

MEMORANDUM FOR:           THE PRESIDENT

                                                    THE SECRETARY OF STATE

                                                    THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

Subject: Qandestine air transport operations in Europe

Incidents involving the clandestine transport of munitions by aircraft into foreign areas of extreme political sensitivity, such as Northern Italy and Palestine, are increasing. U.S.-owned aircraft and U.S. crews are directly participating in these activities. It appears that no effective U.S. controls are exercised outside of the U.S. in restraint of such operations.

Examples of clandestine operations include the following: (a) a C - 46 transport aircraft, owned by a non-scheduled U.S. airline, was cleared by the State Department for a flight to Italy where it was allegedly to be converted to civilian passenger use. This aircraft landed on 11 March at Geneva where its contents were observed to include small arms. The aircraft departed the same day for Rome, but was finally reported to have been located, completely empty and apparently abandoned by the crew, at an airfield near Perugia, Italy; (b) an American-owned C-54 four-engine transport aircraft landed on 31 March at the Prague airport. The plane was immediately surrounded by secret police and subsequently loaded with a number of very heavy crates. The aircraft took off without obtaining the required clearance, and protests by Czech airport officials were overruled by the senior secret police officer who stated that the flight was a government operation. The plane returned the next day to Prague where the American crew, after attempting to evade interrogation, finally admitted that they had flown a cargo of "surgical instruments and hand tools" to a small village in Palestine. They further asserted that the owner of the aircraft had been unaware of the operation; (c) the Czechoslovak airline (CSA) requested OMGUS early in March for clearances to operate two flights weekly for a total of six weeks into Italy via Munich and Innsbruck for the purpose of hauling "cut timber." The aircraft were to land at an airfield situated on the Italian coast between Genoa and the French border. (No Italian customs officials are stationed at this airfield and the location is such that transshipment of air cargo to ocean shipping could be effected.) Although none of these flights appears to have taken place with the above itinerary, there is reason to believe that several operations into Northern Italy have been completed covertly. (For further information on the above examples, see attachment.)

It is apparent that further irresponsible activities of privately- owned U.S. aircraft and U.S. unscheduled airlines (operating on charter basis only) can have the following unfavorable effects on the U.S. national security: (a) in- crease in the potential of the Italian Communists, particularly in Northern Italy; (b) embarrassment to the U.S. through smuggling of arms to either side in the current Palestine hostilities; (c) objections by friendly governments; and (d) furtherance of the objectives of unfriendly nations in activities over which the U.S. has no control.

 

R. H. HILLENKOETTER

Rear Admiral, USN

Director of Central Intelligence

Attachment

Example (a): The C-46 transport aircraft reported to have landed in Italy after departing from Geneva on 11 March with a cargo of small arms was located at Castiglione de Largo on the same day. At this airfield the pilot turned over the aircraft to an Italian company, Societa Aeronautica Italiana, for conversion and use as a passenger plane. Although the aircraft and crew were examined by Italian customs officials dispatched to the field in advance by the Italian Director of Civil Aviation, the nature of the cargo, which was presumably removed at this time, has not been reported. The pilot has stated that upon his arrival at destination, Italian officials assured him that the required notification would be given to the proper air authorities. American offi cials, however, were not officially informed of the plane's arrival. Flight clearances and all documents for the aircraft were found to be in order. USMAA, Rome, reports that all the crew members were apparently Jewish and suspects that the flight may have some connection with the Jewish underground movement although he points out that it is also possible that the crew simply engaged in the sale of contraband as a sideline to their legitimate business. Although A-2 cabled a request for full information concerning the cargo, the MAA Rome gives no indication in his reply that he interrogated the pilot on this matter.

The C-46 is owned by an American non-scheduled carrier, Service Airlines, Inc. (owned by a group of US veterans, Martin Bellefond, President, and William Burr, Jr., Vice President, formerly a New York State airline operator) and is the first of a number of C-46's for which this company is obtaining flight clearances through the Department of State for delivery to the Italian Aviation Company mentioned above. The F.B.I. became suspicious of the activities of Service Airlines last January during the course of an investigation of the export of explosives by boat from the port of Newark, New Jersey. Some of the personalities involved in this illicit export operation appear to be involved also in financing the transport of arms and ammunition to Europe. The principal figure under investigation is a man named Wiseman, whose activities have been followed and whose name appears on numerous checks for very large sums of money. (He is reported to have at his disposal a fund of some 2½ million dollars.) Service Airlines was engaged by a group of individuals, including Wiseman, who met one night in January in the offices of the Pratt Steamship Company in New York. Service Airlines, which is based in Burbank, California, agreed to arrange with the Lockheed Corp. for the purchase and recondi tioning of three Constellations. It has also acquired a total of twelve C-46's. Meanwhile, a subsidiary company was established in Panama under the name of Aereas de Panama and a number of C-46,s and one of the Consiellations have been flown to Panama where they are now registered as Panamanian aircraft. The US Civil Aeronautic Authority was duly notified and these air transports have been dropped from the list of US aircraft and have now acquired foreign status. The US Government automatically grants transit permits to aircraft registered in foreign countries with which it has reciprocal air agree ments. Service Airlines, thus, has been able to obtain such transit permits calling for specified stops in the US en route to South America, points in the Caribbean, or Europe. The cargo manifests or bills of lading for such aircraft are usually cleared without question, nor is the actual cargo examined even in cases where an export license is required. Service Airlines appears to have complied with all existing requirements and, in spite of abundant indications of illegal operations, the present evidence available appears to be insufficient to warrant prosecution for illegal activities. The F.B.I. investigation is continuing, however. The Italian Government apparently has cooperated closely with Service Airlines, but the behavior of minor Italian officials in failing to report the C-46 incident to American authorities in Italy may indicate that the cargo of arms was unloaded and disposed of with their knowledge and perhaps collusion. (Active cooperation may be expected between left wing Italians and members of the Jewish underground in as much as the USSR is still sponsoring the partition of Palestine.)

Example (b): On 31 March, an American C-54 transport plane arrived in Prague. It was immediately surrounded and isolated by Czech security police and two large trucks drove up from which 35 heavy cases were loaded on to the aircraft. The plane took off immediately without making the necessary clearances with airport officials. Their protests, however, were overruled by the Chief of Security Police who stated that this was a government operation. The aircraft returned the following day and representatives of the US Embassy and the Military Attache interrogated the pilot and crew. In a sworn statement, Seymour Lerner admitted being in charge of the flight and revealed that the plane is owned by Ralph Cox of New York who operates a charter airplane service under the name of Ocean Trade Airways. The plane was chartered in Paris by Lemer to a British subject named Cooper, without the knowledge, but under the general authority given by Cox to Lerner to carry freight from Prague to various destinations. At Prague, the plane loaded 14,000 pounds, stated on the manifest to be "hand tools and surgical instruments" and took off for a nonstop flight to Beit Darras, Palestine. After unloading the cargo at its destination, the plane returned to Prague. US Ambassador Steinhardt believes that the facts sworn to above are substantially correct, but that the cases probably contained small arms and/or ammunition. (Beit Darras is an Arab village not far from the coast of Palestine but, due to the fluid situation existing in the area. it is not known whether the cargo was delivered to Arab or Jewish agents.)

Investigation of this irregular airline in the US has developed the following information: Ocean Trade Airways operates out of an airfield at Laurinburg- Maxton, North Carolina, about twenty-five miles from Pope Field (USAF base). Mr. Cox and most of the operating personnel are employed by Amer ican Airlines on a part-time basis. When operating for Ocean Trade Airways, crews wear American Airlines uniforms with the company insignia removed. The airline apparently has a heavy schedule of commitments and is flying DC-3's as well as the C-54's on missions both to South America and Europe.

Example (c): No firm information has been received concerning the opera- tions of Czech Airlines (CSA) in a series of special flights to Villanova d'AI- begna near the Italian coast between Genoa and the French border. (Villanova d'Albegna has a recently established air service to Trieste, via Milan and Venice. Scheduled flights are operated three times weekly.) USAFE reported, however, that on 2 April a Czechoslovak aircraft with identification letters OAJ overflew Munich, apparently en route to Nice, France. No clearance over the US zone was sought or granted.