TWA 800: ERROR CORRECTION - PT I

From: Ian Goddard (igoddard@erols.com)
Date: Tue Mar 18 1997 - 18:33:32 MST


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        CORRECTION OF ERRORS IN AND AROUND
        THE PIERRE SALINGER TWA 800 REPORT

        Part I

        by Ian Williams Goddard

        THE FOLLOWING are corrections of errors made by
        major media in claims against the Pierre Salinger
        TWA 800 report, and corrections of errors in the
        report. I am a coauthor of the Salinger Report.

        SALINGER REPORT MISQUOTE OF WITNESS

        FBI agent James Kallstrom said "most witnesses"
        interviewed by the Salinger investigative team deny
        what the Salinger Report says they said [1]. The only
        example of a witnesses claiming this that I've found
        was cited in the New York Times [2] as follows:

           [The Salinger Report] quotes Thomas Dougherty
           of East Quogue, as saying, "My eyes were glued
           to the TWA hitting the missile's flames."

           But Tuesday, Dougherty said in an inter-
           view that "I was misquoted" in the article.
           He said that he saw what appeared to be a
           flame streaking in the sky and an explosion,
           but that he never saw a plane.

        (Note that the only way a missile-witness will find
        their way into the New York Times is if they can be
        used to discredit the Navy-missile theory.)

        Indeed, as he tells the Times, Mr. Dougherty told me
        that he did NOT see the plane until after it was hit
        and falling apart. I cannot account for the quotation
        cited from the Salinger Report. I should note that
        the report was assembled by Pierre Salinger and Mike
        Sommer and I cannot get hold of the final report as
        I cannot locate Mr. Sommer and Mr. Salinger went on
        a vacation right after the release of the report.

        Clearly the quotation that the NY Times cites from
        the Salinger Report is typographically flawed. What
        the report should read is: "Mr. Dougherty's eyes were
        glued to the flame that shot upwards and hit TWA 800."
        What I've stated about Mr. Dougherty's eyewitness
        account can be found on the Internet [3].

        The portions of the Salinger Report that are derived
        from my work -- hence my status as a coauthor -- are
        derived from the carefully researched and referenced
        reports I have posted publicly on the Internet [4].

        SALT I VIOLATION ?

        The Pierre Salinger TWA 800 Report suggests that an
        accidental downing of TWA 800 with a missile by the
        U.S. Navy could indicate a violation of SALT I arms-
        control agreements, and that such violation could
        be an incentive for a cover-up. I, a coauthor of the
        Salinger Report, studied the SALT I ABM Treaty [5]
        months ago and concluded that it is not a likely
        incentive for the cover-up [6].

        However, if the SM-2(IVA), which is an upper-tier
        Standard Missile, was used, which Salinger and I
        have proposed, then that would indeed violate the
        SALT I ABM Treaty.

        The Washington Times (03/13/97, A10) countered
        the SALT I claim in the Salinger Report:

            Mr. Salinger's claim the conventional
            tactical missile used was one outlawed
            by the first Strategic Arms Limitation
            Treaty [SALT I] was disputed in Washington.
            Arms Control Association Deputy Director
            Jack Mendelsohn said, "SALT I dealt with
            silos and nuclear missiles, and I have
            no recollection of SALT I dealing with
            any nonnuclear weapon like that."

        Wrong: SALT I did deal with missiles that are not
        necessarily nuclear. SALT I was a series of Strategic
        Arms Limitation Talks between the USSR and the USA
        that occurred between November 1969 to May 1972.
        During these talks the Treaty on the Limitation of
        Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems, also known as the
        ABM Treaty, was drafted and later "entered into
        force" on October, 3 1972 [7][5].

        The ABM Treaty placed limitations on the deployment
        of anti-ballistic missiles -- any missile designed
        to intercept nuclear-ballistic missiles -- and their
        missile systems. This limitation would render any
        anti-ballistic missile, such as the nonnuclear SM-2
        (IVA), fired or simply located off Long Island, a
        violation of SALT I as the Salinger Report claims.

        The ABM Treaty allows the United States to possess
        anti-ballistic missiles, including their launchers
        and radar systems, in only four locations:

        1. 150 km around Washington D.C. [8]
        2. 150 km around Grand Forks ICBM silo launcher [9]
        3. White Sands, New Mexico, missile-test range [10]
        4. Kwajalein Atoll missile-test range [10]

        The 1974 ABM Protocol established further limits [11].

        The areas near Long Island, where Navy missile activity
        was not only scheduled but witnessed and photographed,
        are outside the legal ABM zones. Therefore, the claim
        implicit in the Salinger Report, that ABM deployment
        off Long Island would violate SALT I, is correct.

        I just spoke with Arms Control Association Deputy
        Director Jack Mendelsohn, quoted in the Washington
        Times above. He pointed out that he was not fully
        aware of the exact claims in the Salinger Report he
        was asked to address. Mr. Mendelsohn agreed that
        IF the SM-2(IVA) with Kinetic-Kill Vehicle was used
        off Long Island (which the Salinger Report suggests)
        then, in his opinion, that would indeed violate the
        SALT I ABM Treaty. However, he does not believe the
        SM-2(IVA) is deployable. There is evidence to the
        contrary, although it is not decisive.

        The Washington Times states that the Salinger
        Report claims that the Continuous-Rod warhead is
        outlawed by SALT I. That is not true: CR warheads
        are anti-aircraft, not ABM, missiles. I don't know
        how or why that claim was included in the report.

        The portions of the Salinger Report that are derived
        from my work -- hence my status as a coauthor -- are
        derived from the carefully researched and referenced
        reports I have posted publicly on the Internet [4].

        I believe, in accord with the Salinger report and as
        based upon my research, that the U.S. Navy accidently
        shot-down TWA 800 during an exercise where a missile
        missed its test target (a drone missile) and hit TWA
        800 instead. The drone missile was then photographed
        over Long Island flying out of military zone W-105 [12].
        
        ____________________________________________________
        [1] THE WASHINGTON TIMES, 03/14/97, A3.
        [2] THE NEW YORK TIMES: Officials Dispute Latest
            Claims... by Matthew Purdy, (03/12/97)
        [3] Report on my interview of Tom Dougherty:
http://home.dc.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9612&L=flight-800&O=A&P=9234
        [4] http://www.erols.com/igoddard/views.htm
        [5] US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency:
            http://www.acda.gov/treaties/abm.htm
            http://www.acda.gov/treaties/abm2.htm
        [6] Proof of TWA 800 cover-up:
            http://www.erols.com/igoddard/cover-up.htm
        [7] http://www.acda.gov/treaties/salt1.htm
        [8] ABM Treaty, Article III a
        [9] Ibid., III b, and Agreed Statements 2A
        [10] Ibid., Agreed Statements 2B
        [11] http://www.acda.gov/treaties/abmprot1.htm
        [12] http://www.erols.com/igoddard/kab-dir.htm

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 IAN GODDARD (igoddard@erols.com) Q U E S T I O N A U T H O R I T Y
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