Deplorable Blundering By Plane Officials

Northern Advocate, 20 November 1941, Page 4

Deplorable Blundering By Plane Officials

LONDON, Nov. 19,

(Rec. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 19. The British Overseas Air Corporation refused the newly appointed Soviet Ambassador to the United States (M. Litvincff) and his wife, seats in the plane leaving Teheran this morning for Cairo, leaving M. and Madame Litvinoff standing at the airport. The Teheran correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says M. Litvinoff arrived at the aerodrome a quarter of an hour before the takeoff accompanied by his wife and the Soviet Ambassador at Teheran (M. Cmirnoff). It is stated that they were promised a passage but at the plane steps were informed that all seats had been taken. The plane carried the British legation counsellor, the former British Legation attache and six other British passengers. Apologies To Litvinoff After the plane had left, the British Ambassador to Teheran (Sir Reader Bullard) apologised profusely to M. Litvinoff, and also called on the Soviet Embassy and expressed his regrets. He promised that permission would be given to a Soviet plane to fly the Litvinoffs to Egypt. The British Overseas Airways Official in London stated that the Corporation had nothing to do with the allocation of seats in its planes.