U.S. Lawyer Describes Berlin Exchange

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29746, 13 February 1962, Page 13

U.S. Lawyer Describes Berlin Exchange

(N.Z. Press AfSn.—Copyright) NEW YORK, Feb. 12. The first eye-witness account of the exchange of the U.S. “spy pilot,” Francis Gary Powers, and the Soviet spy, Colonel Rudolf Abel, was given last night by a New York lawyer, Mr James Donovan.

Mr Donovan, who was Abel's lawyer at his United States trial, negotiated the exchange It took place at the middle of the Gleinicker bridge in Berlin early on Saturday

Mr Donovan told a press conference that he was accompanied to the bridge by a United States State Department representative. Mr Alan Lightner, and another man who had worked with Powers and could identify him

Five yards behind Mr Donovan stood a United States Prison Bureau official and a guard who was handcuffed to Abel Powers was brought to the middle « the bridge by the Second Secretary of the Soviet East German Em-

I bassy <Mr Ivan Shishkin) . the principal exchange nego- . tiator for the Russians, and , another Soviet official Two Soviet guards were ( five yards behind Mr Shish- ’ kin. one on each side of ; Powers, who was wearing a , fur hat and coat Meanwhile, the East Germans had been preparing to release an American student.

Frederic Pryor, a “bonus” for the United States in the prisoner exchange. “We waited until we had word from Friedrichstrasse that Pryor had been released.” Mr Donovan said “Thai took 15 minutes “Then Powers walked toward us and Abel walked toward the Russians” Mr Donovan said he shook hands with the U-2 pilot “Powers said to me. ’Gee, I’m glad to see you’ ” They then got into a car “We went to Tempelhof airport and got an Air Force plane to Wiesbaden, where we got a military SuperConstellation and flew home.” Mr Donovan said

The lawyer disclosed that be was uneasy that the Russians might try to stage an “accident” that would prevent Powers from returning to the United States “We were a little scared In the atr corridor (between Perlfn and West Germany),” he said "We didn’t know whether we might be the victims of a ’crash ’ But the flight went normally ” Negotiations Described

The lawyer, who arrived tn the United States early yesterday on the plane with Powers, gave this account of the steps that led to the exchange on the bridge: “Shortly after the Powers trial I received a letter from Mrs Abel in Leipzig (East Germany) and a lawyer named Wolfgang Vogel, who purported to represent the Abel family The letter suggested an exchange of Powers for Abel

“J informed the Department of State and the Department of Justice From that point on there. was • long correspondence (between Donovan and Mrs Abel and Vogel) “As a result 1 finally was requested by our Government to accept an invitation to East Berlin approximately a month ago I wrote back and agreed Mrs Abel agreed to meet me with a representative in Soviet East Berlin

“Since I go to London once a year on business, it was suggested I go to London on a normal business trip I arranged from West Berlin for a cable to be sent to my wife saying I had gone to Scotland 1 left London quietly and went to West Berlin, where I lived alone for some days Then at the appointed time, I went to East Berlin for the meeting” Family Reunion Powers, apparently in good physical condition, was reunited with his wife Barbara and other members of his family yesterday The White Hqjsse released two pictures taken within

three hours after Powers’s return .‘hey showed him clad in a plaid sport shirt and slacks In both he was smiling broadly One photograph showed him sitting in what appeared to be a hotel or motel room Powers was seated on a cushion chair with a lamp at his shoulder leaning forward with his hands folded In the other he was standing against a plain background his hands behind his back The meeting with his relatives was carried out in the best cloak-and-dagger tradition of a thriller Washington was hot with rumours but no official would give details of the reunion news agency reporters said Mrs Powers arrived in the capital from Atlanta on Sunday night She was met by two Government agents who escorted hen to a hotel where she spent the night The agents occupied a suite next to that of Mrs Powers and her brother, Captain Jack Moore, an Air Force chaplain