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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