NOT MET BY SOVIET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27383, 8 May 1950, Page 5

NOT MET BY SOVIET

International Obligations HANDLING OF BALTIC INCIDENT United States Charges NZPA—Copyright WASHINGTON, May 5. The Soviet Union has been accused by the United States of flouting its international obligations in dealing with the Baltic Sea plane incident. The State Department today issued the text of a new Note sent to the Soviet Union, in which the United States Government reiterated its charge that Soviet fighters shot down an unarmed navy Privateer aircraft over the Baltic Sea, causing the loss of 10 American lives. The Note again rejected the Soviet contention that a Flying Fortress on April 8 violated Soviet territory and exchanged fire with Soviet fighter planes. The Note was a reply to the communication of April 28 in which the Soviet Union rejected the original American charges and declared that “ verified data ” showed that a Flying Fortress flew over Libava, Latvia, on April 8 “to photograph Soviet defence installations.” The United States reply said the Soviet Union had put forward “an erroneous account” and added: “It is clearly impossible to resolve this issue so long as the Soviet Government refuses to base its position upon the facts of the case. The Government of the United States must warn the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of the seriousness with which it regards the attitude of the Government of the Union of Soviet Republics in a matter of such grave consequences.” The Note states that the United States Government was.forced to conclude that the Soviet Union “has not only failed to meet, but has no intention of meeting, the obligations which international law and practice impose on members of the family of nations. It is clear that this disregard for the law, custom and opinion of mankind constitutes a further obstacle to the establishment of harmonious relations among the nations and cannot be reconciled _ with the Soviet Government’s continued protestations of its devotion to the cause of peace.”