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The Nome Nugget
Nome, Nome County, Alaska
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President Eisenhower renews his 1955 'Open Skies' proposal, challenging the Soviet Union to allow mutual aerial inspections to end secrecy and prevent surprise attacks, amid the U-2 spy plane incident. He plans to raise it at the Paris summit.
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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Eisenhower challenged the Soviet Union again today to join this country in opening its skies to inspection flights which might give each assurance against surprise attack.
In a news conference review of the furor over Russian capture of an American spy plane, the President called espionage "a distasteful but vital necessity" lest there be another sneak blow such as the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Eisenhower said the Soviet "fetish of secrecy and concealment" is a major cause of international tension and uneasiness, and forces the United States to engage in "below the surface" activities to gain information to protect the free world.
"We prefer and work for a different kind of world -- and a different way of obtaining the information essential to confidence and effective deterrence," he said.
"Open societies, in the day of present weapons, are the only answer.
"This was the reason for my 'open skies' proposal in 1955, which I was ready instantly to put into effect -- to permit aerial observation over the United States and the Soviet Union which would assure that no surprise attack was being prepared against anyone.
"I shall bring up the 'open skies' proposal again at Paris -- since it is a means of ending concealment and suspicion."
Eisenhower read a prepared statement to a packed news conference on the matter. Among other points, he:
1. Expressed doubt the American U-2 spy plane was in fact shot down from 60,000 feet as the Russians claim.
2. Denied there was anything provocative about actions of the United States and its allies in relation to Russia.
Despite the furor caused by the U-2 plane episode, Eisenhower said he still is hopeful "that we may make progress" at the summit conference, starting Monday, on what he called the great issues of the day.
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Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Soviet Union
Event Date
Today
Key Persons
Outcome
hopeful for progress at paris summit despite u-2 incident; proposal to end concealment and suspicion through mutual aerial inspections.
Event Details
President Eisenhower challenged the Soviet Union to join in opening skies to inspection flights for assurance against surprise attack. He reviewed the Russian capture of the American U-2 spy plane, calling espionage a necessity due to Soviet secrecy. He renewed his 1955 'Open Skies' proposal for aerial observation over both countries and plans to raise it at the Paris summit. He doubted the U-2 was shot down from 60,000 feet and denied provocative US actions.