76-18-B6

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Korea

Transcript In the weeks that have elapsed since North Korea shot down one of our helicopters, killing three young soldiers, the principal editorial reaction has been one of praise for our forbearance, gratitude to North Korea for accepting our apology and relief that nothing really nasty came of the incident. Of course, this mutual conciliation was predicated upon completely forgetting how tragically final the incident was for three families; how drastic was the punishment for a simple error in navigation. Unlike the seizure of the U.S.S. Pueblo nine years ago in international waters or the shooting down a year later of one of our planes with loss of 31 American lives (again over international waters), our aircraft this time was at fault. It had strayed across the demilitarized zone into North Korean territory. This we had to acknowledge and did. It was proper also that we should choose our words carefully until we had return of the lone survivor and the bodies of the murdered men. In 1965, the North Koreans shot down an off-course fighter plane and it took a week to get return of the one survivor and the body of the man who was killed. In the case of the Pueblo, they held the crew for almost a year and even though we were completely in the right, our government's conduct shamed us before the world. In this latest incident, the North Koreans, after a single day's delay accepted our apology and we saw the return of our living and dead on the TV news. All across American, there was heard an editorial sign of relief and it went on for days. The Los Angeles TIMES referred to the three fatalities as "the service men who died". As for the "handling of the matter", the TIMES said, "The tone of the responses on both sides of the line appear to measure a more moderate relationship." Well, in the first place, the three young men didn't die; they were killed. In the second place, why shouldn't the North Koreans be moderate? They had shot down the inadvertent intruders and we apologized. Again, let me say it was proper for our government since we were technically in the wrong, to be circumspect until our men living and dead were back in our hands. But, enough already of this continued self-congratulations as if we'd come through some terrible danger and were safe at last. It's time to remind ourselves and others of the difference in culture, in morals and in the levels of civilization between the free world and the communist ant heap. In the years since World War II, the Russians have killed more than 100 American servicemen in accidents similar to this. During those years, they have violated our air space on occasion. We've kept them under surveillance until they departed, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they were accidentally off course. We never shot them down. Since 1953, there have been more than 2000 shooting incidents across the zone in Korea. Eight American and almost 500 South Koreans have been killed. Last year, they attacked an American work detail in neutral territory and chopped two of our officers to death with axes. Now four young servicemen in an unarmed helicopter get off course and are shot down; three lose their lives and the fourth is saved. The TIMES says our apology and the North Korean's acceptance of our apology shows we are getting along better. It is time to weep for the men who were murdered. Time to offer our sympathy to their bereaved families but, most of all, express our outrage at a nation so paranoid it behaves like a homicidal maniac. Human rights include the right of young boys to make an inadvertent mistake without having to forfeit their lives. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 76-18-B6 Production Date 08/15/1977 Book/Page RihoH-41 Audio Youtube? No
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