U.S. FORCE HEADS FOR NORTH KOREA

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31586, 25 January 1968, Page 11

U.S. FORCE HEADS FOR NORTH KOREA

Return Of Seized Spy Ship Refused w i.VZ. Press Association —Copyright) WASHINGTON, January 24. A United States Navy task force including the carrier cruised toward North Korea today as the United States applied diplomatic leverage in a bid to recover its captured intelligence ship the U.S.S. Pueblo.

The United States force of four ships, moved in high readiness through the Sea of Japan while the United States asked the Soviet Union to persuade North Korea to give up the 935-ton craft, which had 83 men aboard.

The White House called North Korea’s capture of the lightlyarmed vessel “a very serious situation.”

The United States State Department viewed it “with utmost gravity.”

President Johnson was to preside today at what was described as a regular meeting of the National Security Council.

United Press International said the United States was mounting a naval show of strength in the waters oft North Korea today to back up its demand for the return of the Pueblo.

In a truce line confrontation, the United States demanded North Korea return the hijacked Pueblo and its 83 men, but was told North Korea would keep the ship. “The ship will remain in our hands,” Major-General

;Pak Chung Kuk, of North ] Korea, told Rear-Admiral (John Smith at a face-to-face ) meeting of the Korean [Armistice Truce Commission. ' General Pak also said j several Americans were I “killed and wounded” in yesterday's capture. [ Boarded At Sea

The Pueblo was reported to have been surrounded by North Korean patrol boats and boarded by an armed party In international waters just before 2 p.m. A North Korean broadcast, monitored by the United States, charged that the Pueblo was “an armed spy boat” captured after “intruding into North Korean territorial waters for the purpose of carrying out hostile activities.”

The Pueblo’s commander had radioed earlier that he was destroying his secret electronic equipment, but it was not known how much he succeeded in destroying.

I The equipment, if captured, would be valuable to North Korean and Soviet intelligence men. The Pueblo had been in the area about two weeks on an electronics interception mission, the officials said. They added that other [ United States intelligencegathering ships had accomplished similar missions in the same area before without being bothered by the North Koreans.

The Pueblo was armed only I with machine-guns, which ; were not used. At the armistice truce com- ) mission. Admiral Smith accused North Korea of launching a “campaign of provocation. sabotage and assassination."

Assassination Bid

He criticised North Korea for sending 31 “gangsters” on Sunday’s vain attempt to assassinate President Park Chung Hee. South Korean troops todayreported killing seven more of

the would-be assassins, making 13 who have been tracked down and slain.

At Seoul, the -United States Ambassador, Mr William Porter, met President Park and discussed the Pueblo’s seizure and the assassination attempt, Government spokesmen said. Sources close to President Park said Mr Porter notified the South Korean leader of “grave measures” the United States Government might take in connection with the cap-! Jure of the intelligence ship. I Some Pentagon sources said that American aircraft would] have been within their rights to strafe and bomb the North Korean vessels, at least while they remained in international waters, once they had seized the Pueblo.

Other Ships

There are said to be a “handful” of similar electronic intelligence ships that are used for the navy and a handful of other ships, such as ‘he Liberty used by the Navy for the National Security Agency.

The Russians keep at least seven or eight similar electronic intelligence ships on station at any given time all over the world. They maintain a constant vigil in international waters off Holy Loch. Scotland, Rota, Spain, and Guam in the Pacific, where United States submarines equipped with Polaris missiles are based.

They also stay close to the United States Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific, trying to intercept operational orders, to determine the radio and radar frequencies most commonly used, and to obtain other intelligence data. The cabled photograph shows the U.S.S. Pueblo.