CAPTURE OF PUEBLO DESCRIBED

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31894, 23 January 1969, Page 11

CAPTURE OF PUEBLO DESCRIBED

GV.Z. Pre.s-; Association—Copyright!

CORONADO (California), January 22. The captain of the U.S.S. Pueblo told a Naval Board of Inquiry his vessel was hopelessly outgunned with “no hope of outrunning the North Korean gunboats that attacked the intelligence ship just before its capture the Associated Press reported.

Commander Lloyd Bucher said he radioed his plight to the Navy command in Japan and. ultimately, to the White House.

The 4Uycar-ol<r Navy officer gave evidence all day yesterday to the inquiry board which comprises five admirals.

He will continue his testimony today. Commander Bucher said It was just before noon last January 23 when a lone boat headed toward them on the Sea of Japan, guns manned, as he signalled that he was making hydrographic tests in international waters.

Soon three torpedo boats, then a fourth, approached to point blank range. Commander Bucher said he thought it was just harassment, but he ordered secret items destroyed and got under way to try to get away. To man the Pueblo’s mach-ine-guns, he said, would have meant “certain death” for the gunner.

He said his defiance of a “heave to or be fired upon”; order caused the North Koreans to open fire and he and I others were hit by sharpnel. The Pueblo's captain said that as North Korean boats! closed in he used a communi-! cations priority that enabled: his messages to go direct to! the W1 ite House. Describing events leading! up to the Pueblo’s capture.! i he said he opened radio chan- i nels to keep his United States!, superior in Japan and ulti-ii

I mately the White House in-1 ; formed on what was happenI ing. ’ He did not elaborate on his! | brief reference to the White 1 House and was not questioned about it. There was no indication • whether Commander Bucher ■ received any instructions! I back from anyone. Navy sources said they believed his testimony before a Navy board was the first public mention of messages directed to the White House. ! Shortly after the Pueblo was seized a year ago, a I White House spokesman at-1 tributec. the delay in inform-1 ing President Johnson to the! time it took a Presidential 1 i aide, Mr Walt Rostow, to! 'compile information for a briefing. I

•| The exact time the join! •I Chiefs of Staff were informed ’ has never been disclosed. i I However, the Defence Sec- , ‘ retary (Mr Robert McNamliara) was said to have received word of the ship's ~ troubles nine minutes after .! the Pueblo sent its final mes- .: sage. By that time, the ship had been taken over by the North Koreans. 'I Commander Bucher said ! earlier his assignment was to ! conduct surveillance of Sov- ! ict ships in the Sea of Japan i and monitor North Korean 11 radar, but he saved the surveillance until the last and ! was captured before he got to ' it. I; He denied, one by one. i'Communist charges that his d ship violated North Korean ' waters.