Films From Crashed MiG Fighter Under Guard

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29728, 23 January 1962, Page 13

Films From Crashed MiG Fighter Under Guard

A.Z. Press Assn. —Copgrtgfiti

LONDON, Jan. 22.

Rolls of film taken from a crashed Communist jet fighter were being closely guarded in Rome today. the “Daily Mirror” reported in London. They were believed to hold the key to the mystery of the plane a Bulgarian armed MiG carrying photographic equipment—which crashed near a N.A.T.O. base in Italv on Saturday.

Counter-espionage agents had taken the film from the plane’s cameras, the newspaner said. The pictures were expected tn reveal whether or not the pilot was an aerial spy. The pilot crashed about 400 miles from the Bulgarian frontier, breaking an arm and a leg

According to some reports, he brought the plane down deliberately and has asked the authorities fcr political asvlum. But Italian authorities doubt his story because 1 : made no attempt to land at the first available airfield according to the Italian Ansa news agency

Ansa news agency. Quoting "a well informed sou’ce." last night named the Bulgarian nilot as Sub-Lieu‘“nan‘ Miluse Solakov. ased 23. of th® Second Sausdron of the 11th Fighter-Rec-'naissance Unit based on Bergovitza airnort.

A Defence Ministry spokesman last nl«*ht save the pilot’s name as Sub-Lieuten-ant Miiloch Podtoro* Ansa gave no reason for the eor--“cted name A Defence Minf«‘rv s-v>ke«rr>sn was no» av-'i a ble for comment T he T‘al ; an P-’me Minl«*er (Mr Anr-n’ore F»nf»nD ha c '•nt a stro-»« nm‘e«t to ‘ e Bv’msrian Government T v >» Btil®ar ! an Government which -a vs the pilot made a mis+ake in Uis rou'e. has demanded that He and the plane be repatriated.

The “Daily Mirror” said the pilot had refused to cooperate with Italian questioners

Occasionally he would cry out as if in pain, or he would start to sing songs, the newspaper reported. A nun who was helping to nurse him showed him a crucifix He shook his head vigorously and then turned his face to the wall Th crash sent the Italian press todaj into an uproar similar to that created bv lie United States U-2 incident in 1960 the Associated Press reported. Newspapers recalled the story of Francis Gary Powers the U-2 spy pilot, who was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by the Russians after he was shot down near Sverdlovsk

Some Italian experts believe the Bulgarian aeroplane crashed because *♦ had been hit by Albanian anti-aircraf’ fire while flying over the Tirana area, according to the Turin newspaper “La Stamps.' “11 Tempo” said that now it was impossible for the Russians tn u=e Albania as a bast for spy-flights over Italy it appea-ed thev were using Bulgaria Washington Silence In Washington, officials and Congressmen today maintainer'. tight-lipped silence on the issue Their silence was in contrast tc the rash— and sometimes false Uni’ed Sta’es statements after the U-2 tr ident. United Press Internationa! said State and Defence Department officials declined to comment publiclv pending further information Specifically, they declined to say whether an attempt might be made to seek the release of Francis Powers from a Russian prison in exchange for the Bulgarian rUlot—if it was proven the Bulgarian was on a spying mission

Administration officials said privately het ’lie Italian Government was reporting to the United States on the rase, hut so far had said only that the plane was down and that the pilot was under interrogation.

In discussing the incident privately, several officials mentioned the U-2 incident, in which the United States issued a “cover” sitory on Powers’ espionage flight which was later proven false At first, the State Departmen’ and National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Pc .vers was flying a NASA weather plane But then the Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) sprang his surprise—Powers was alive an, talking. Powers subsequently was tried and imprisoned.