) INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of State "=:SECRET 1'6 ­ Action CONTROL: 17725 ' -55 Info . RECD: JANUARY 22, 1966 9/26AM i f ! l· i ' i FROM: i!' : 1. . I d ACT ION: SECSTATE WASHDC ~MEDIATE ~ • r [. . ~ ' ­ S E C R E f JANUARY 2~ u '. t: I' hO· LI MD IS . i ' ' : : DEPT PASS DOD REF EMBTELS 867 AND 869; DEPTEL 834 1. FOLLOWING IS ROUNDUP DEVELO~MENTS RELATED e-52/KC-t35 ACCIDENT .SINCE LAST REPORTS CEMBTELS 867 AND S69): ~ A~ SHORTLY AFTER' NOON 'jANUARY 21 FONMIN TELEPHOi~ED AMBASSJ\Dtlfrl r TO CONVEY ·.'EXTREME CONCERN" OF CHIEF STATE UPON REA!))IrJG ; i ! I UPI SfORY C.e.'\BLED BY SPANISH EMBASSY WASHINGTON ·CTEXT ABOUT SAMS AS THAI QUOTED DEPTEL 834). FONMIN SAID "S SEND]~G 1: . ! SAGAZ IO DISCUSS QUESTION. ' i B. SAGAZ ARRIVED DISPLAYING CONSIDERABLE AGI1A11DN~ USING ... ·SUCH TERMS AS "DEEP CONCERN.".? "EMERGENCY" AND ''CRISIS"~ ! I ' HE COMPLAINED PARTICULARLY ABOUT PASSAGES IN UPI STORY : \ CONCERNING ALLEGED ·ATTITUDE OF · "US DIPL0!1ATS" AND TH-AT PUR?ORTrNG DESCRIBE COMPLAINTS OF SPAN !SH INHABITANTS 01•· ACCIDENT .AR£A AGAINST GOS FOR PERMITTING OVERFLIGHT NUCLEAR-AHMED USAF AIRCRAFT. SAGAZ DID NOT FAIL RING IN POTENTIAL BLO W TO TOURISM OF RADIATION SCARE. HE ENDED PRESENTAf ION SAYING THESE REVELATIONS HAD EFFECT LIBERATING GOS fO TAKE INtE?EN.DfNT ACTION ON ITS OWN .AND MENTIONED .POSSIBILITY CONVENING PRESS . r I ·CONFERENCE FOR FULL DISCLOSURE ALL FACTS AND GOS POSI110No ' ' AMBASSADOR REFUTED UPI ATTRIBUTION TO US DIPLOMATS, MENTIONED IMMINENT RETURN CHIEF JUSMG FROM SCENE ACCIDENf WITH UP-TO-DATE ACCOUNT OF CIRCUMSTANCES THERE FOR OUrt ~NFORMATION AND THAT OF GOS, AND REFERRED IO DESIRABILI~Y REMAINING CALM AND CONTINUING MUTUALLY ADVANTHGEOUS US­SPANISH COLLABORATION IN DEALING WifH DELICATE SITUAl'ION D~ t • I. ... SECRET ­ ii o; , s uz; t•cc.: ; o t e .•LP,. ~· •<: , • ts1 v• -2-871, January 22, · from: Madrid EQUAL AND COMMO~ CONCERN TO BOTH GOVTS. IN THIS . MANNEri, AMBASSADOR SUCCEEDED IN QUIETING SAGAZ, WHO AI END OF CONVE~SATION AGREED AWAIT FURTHER REPORTS FROM SCENE • . C. UPON RETURN }ROM ALMERIA, CHIEF JUSMG f(EPOi~TED· TO I "AMBASSADOR: FOURTH BOMB STILL MISSING AND P~OBABILIIY WAS I .IT DROPPED INTO SEA; USN MINE SWEEPERS ABOUf IO BEGIN SEA t" SEARCH OPERATIONS WITH HELP TWO LOCAL FISHERMEN WHO aEPOR1EB II I . ­ HAVING SEEN OBJECT WITH PARACHUTE DROP INTO WATER; i ' RECOVERY OF.·FRAGMENTS WRECKAGE ON LAND CONTINUING AND ALL LEADS AS TO POSSIBLE LOCATION FOURTH BOMB BEING FOLLOWED UP; AREAS OF RADIATION ON LAND HAVE BEEN IDENIIFIED 9 A~E SMALL AND NOW CLOSED OFF; WATER TRUCKS BEING B~OUGHf UP TO LEACH THES'E SPOTS;CROPS AND LIEVESTOCK POSSIBLY AFFEC·.L·ED BEING BOUGHT UP; ·MEDICAl ·EXAMINATIONS BEING M,qDi · OF Pt.nSONS IN AREA WHO COULD ·HAVE BEEN EXPOSED; CO~MUNifY LEADErlS AND GENERAL PUBLIC BEING ASSURED WITH EFFECT fHA1 WHILE lHErlE SOME NATURAL FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY AMONG PEOPLE iHEnE NO EVIDENCE . OF MASS FRIGHT OR PANIC; SPANISH IN ArlEA, INCLUDING CIVIL AUTHORITIES, GUARDIA CIVIL AND SPANISH NUCLEArl SCIENfIFi~ AND MEDICAL TEAMS, COOPERATING TO FULL I N fHES~~FFOKISQ GENERAL DONOV·AN ALSO MENTIONED THAT NUC·1£?.0US INlEr~NAi ION.P.L PRESS ?REPRESENTATIVES ARE IN AREA, INCLUDING UPI, PAKIS MATCH, BRITISH PRESS 9 CBS-TV AND POSSIBLY FdENCH IV CREWSQ Do AMBASSADOR CALLED IN LOCAL · UPI BUREAU CHIEF STATHOS, 0 FIRMLY REFUTED ATTITUDE US DIPLOMATS"AS ATTRIBUTED BY U?I FILE AND CHALLENGED HI~ ON SOURCE HIS INFOKMAIION IHIS POINT~ STATHOS APPEAREJ SHA~EN, STATED HE HAD 08.fAINED INFOnMATION 0 ON THIS POIN"l-•AI THi?.D HA~'JD" AND riEP£ATfDLY ~POLOGIZED ·FOR FILING STORY. WITHOUT CHECKING WITH EMBASSY CSEE F BELOW>~ . E. FOLLOW ING DI SC USS I ON S-SU-BPARAG~.~PHS C ;,ND D ?iBOV E 9 AMBASSADOR TELEPHONED FONOFF CABOUI 1930)~ GAVE S~GAZ SU~MARY _8ND _OFFERED -SEND -EMBOFF TO GIVE FULL REPO~T, WHICH SAGAZ QUICKLY ACCEPTED. SAGAZ LISTENED INTENTLY AND SHOWZD KEENEST INTEREST IN ACCOUNT STATHOS ADMISSION HE HAD NOi RECEIVED INFORMATION RE "US DIPLOMATS" ATTITUDE F',~OM Eli1BF.SS'(; BUT FROM OfHER SOURCE. WE ASSUnED SAGAZ WE OPEN TO ANY SPANlS!t SUGGESTIONS ON HOW BEST HANDLE SITUATION BUI REITERATED ·BELIEF WE SHOULD CONTINUE WORK IN CLOSC: CONCE[(T. SAGAZ INDICATED Cl>1JC.Uf\R ENCE~ S/7-lf) i-t!=-ftffP ·No SUGGESTIONS--TO MP.KE FOR TIME BEING AND APPEARZD CALM, ALBEIT OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED. EMBOFF HAD IMPHESSION SAGAZ _ WANTED GET STATHOS INCIDENT PARTICULAKLY CLEAR ro HEPO~! 10 SUPERIORS. \ ~REI' -3-871, January 22, from: Madrid I ,i F • . MORNING JANUARY 22~ STATHOS UPI fEL£PHONiD ~~BASSADOri TO REITERATE. APOLOGIE:S, OfF'ER MP.KE RiTriIBUTION BND DISCLAIM ANY .ATTEMPT "MAKE THOUBLE". HE ADDED THAT HE NO\tJ BELIEVED HE "HAD BEEN HAD" BY HIS SPANISH INF01~MATION' SOUJiCES COiff~/ZVVISC . UNIDENTIFIED) FOR POLITICAL REASONS AND EXPHESSED APPhEHENSION . ABOUT HIS POSITION IN SPAIN. G. CHIEF JUSMG GAVE REPORT OF DEVELOPMENTS AT ACCIDENT SI1E TO VP MUNOZ-GRANDES ALSO MORNING JANUARY 22. MUNOZ-G~ANDE5 DID NOT APPEAR DEEPLY PERTURBED BUT HE DID rlEQUESI 1HAI FLIGU1S OF NUCLEAR-ARMED USAF BC~B~RS OVER SPAIN BE STOPPEDo CCHJEF JUSMG REPORTING THIS REQUEST THROUGH MILITARY CHANNZLS.) · H. AMBASSADOR .ALSO IN CONTACT WITH FONOFF JA~UARY 22 F'OR FURTHER EXCHANGE OF VIEWS. DID NOT MENTION MUNOZ-GaANDt.:S RE.~J.J£ST FOREGOING SUBPARAGRAPH, NOR DID SAGAZo NOTHING OF PARTICULAR INTEREST EMERGEDo ~ -==·-·-­ _2. RE_FOREIGN AND LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE, EMBASSY HEARS: ---------A~----REUTERS REPORTED RUMOR THAT IN VILLAGE Nf.:P..'i V-Z.i\Pi YESTERDAY ABOUT 50 PEQPLE MILLED ABOUI 9 SOMS SHOUTING: "YANKEES GO HOMEAND T~KE YOUR BOMBS~o riEUTE~S COririESPOND~NT DID NOT WITNESS AND GOS INFOMIN OFFICIALLY DENIZDG AP CAR~IED DENIAL LAST NIGHT. B. AP CORRESPONDENT MILKS HAS JUST FILED INT£~V1EW WITU. UNNAMED SPANISH OFFICIAL SAYING MEDICAL SPECIALIST FOUND SMALL AREA AT SIT:S OF MAIN BOMBER W,-iECKAGE INIT!ALLY RADIO­ACTIVE AND "ONLY NORMAL THAT PEOPLE \l.IORKING OVER l.H-AT S'J't3T HAVE BEEN CONTAMINATED". OFFICIAL ADDED: "BUT ]F SO, TJ+t.S IS VERY, VERY SLIGHT AND OFFERS NO DANAGER 70 A~Y8GDYu ALL TRACES SHOULD HAVE DISAPPEARED COMPLEI::L Y IN TW~ QR_ lJ'H:R.£tr DAYS". C. OF THREE MADRID MORNING DAILIES, ONLY YA CARRIED FOLLOW-UP STORY TODAY: BRIEF BUT REASSURING FRONf PAGE STQRY ~EADED: "SEAHCH AND SECURITY MEASURES PROCEEDING 1'~ AUIJER[A,. NO DANGER FROM AIR ACCIDENT EXISTS. INHABITA~IS OF INVOLVED ZONES~ HAVE NOT BEEN EVACUATED". STORY IN SAME TONE SA'!S : " LIVE GOES ON NORMALLY ·IN AFFECTED ZONE SINCE LOCAL .()JE.ASURES WHIC1t ADOPTED IN SMALL DEGREE REPRESENT ONLY EXCESS CAUf ION~ PROOF OF THIS IS THA"f INHAITA~TS O? LITTLE RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN ZONE HAVE NOT BEEN EVACUATEDttQ SECRET - 4 f P 44 9 4()IQ -Ff Pf f FQ @41 K'4 fl . •Ii i . 4 µ' ' 4fl4 Q UDP-. t J Tl z; 41¥4 4. .•+~•f+P'!''!fJC . W < O > SECRET ­ -4-871, January·22, from: Madrid \ ·­ --~ 3. UNDERSTAND O~~E AEC RE?HSSENTAT IIJZ F~OM AL3UQUERQUE ALREAQ~ IN SPAIN AND TH~EE MORE DUE ARRIVE JANUARY 23. 4. BELIEVE WE MUST .SE PREPARED FOR CONTINUED AND POSSIBLY INCREASED MtDIA TREATMENT OF ACCIDENl UNfIL FOURTH BOMB LOCATED AND~, REMOVED. IF MUCH ,MOHE TIMt: E:LAPSES VJI1HOUl SUCCESS IN SEARCH, ~E MAY BE FACED WITH PRACTICAL N£C£SSifY AD~I1TING OFFICIALLY ONE BOMB STILL MISSING. THIS IN 1URN CARRIES OBVIOUS DANGERS INCLUDING POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING OFF FURTH£R GOS OFFICIAL STATEMENTS POSSIBLY INCLUDING PUBLIC REFERENCE TO SP.P.NISJ-'. DEMAND THAT REFUELING AND/OR OV£RFL1Gl-l:1S . NUCLEAR-ARMED AIRCRAFT BE STOPPED. IT TH~REFO~E CL£ARLY OF UTMOST 1 URGENCY THAT NO EFFORT 9~ SPARED LOCATE FOURTH BDOOB WITH ·MINH1UM DELAYo URGE .ALL ' NECESSARY US rn::sou.~CES BE PRO\ID£D FOR SEARCH. .. ·: · ·· . ........ ·.. ·-.1 ... GP-3 ·. , • · : ·DUKE . . ._.. ·.: "·,:,·: ..·... .. \ . -. ··­ BT • ..... ·--Note: Advance copy to S/S-0 ·at 9:55 p.m. 1/22/66 Passed to White House &. DOD at 10:33 a.m~ 1/22/66 ~· SECRET ­ { \. ( . .. '