Changes

When the reports of the Soviet radar viewings on the Siberian maritime opposite Sakhalin Island indicating a safe water landing for KAL 007, when the subsequent reports of a rescue and imprisonment of passengers and crew, arrived at the office of Helms, they were not discarded as so many other "wild" reports of other committees are, but Helms sent top aides to interview the sources in Israel, and then he sent some again. These were David Sullivan, V. Fedei, and Jim Lucier. And then Helms requested the CIA and the NSA to verify, and the information coming from Israel was partially, but crucially, verified - and added onto by the intelligence agencies. A draft report was issued by Helms and his cadre of assistants of the Minority staff of the Committee.  

When the reports of the Soviet radar viewings on the Siberian maritime opposite Sakhalin Island indicating a safe water landing for KAL 007, when the subsequent reports of a rescue and imprisonment of passengers and crew, arrived at the office of Helms, they were not discarded as so many other "wild" reports of other committees are, but Helms sent top aides to interview the sources in Israel, and then he sent some again. These were David Sullivan, V. Fedei, and Jim Lucier. And then Helms requested the CIA and the NSA to verify, and the information coming from Israel was partially, but crucially, verified - and added onto by the intelligence agencies. A draft report was issued by Helms and his cadre of assistants of the Minority staff of the Committee.  

   

   

It didn't end there, Helms pursued it, writing a letter on Dec. 10, 1991, to Boris Yeltsin, requesting, urging," hinting" at the possible benefits of a forthright Russian Federation compliance, asking for real time military communications and radar tracking, for an accounting of the people and crew of KAL 007, how many were alive, where they were kept, location of camps, the fate of passenger and sitting congressman Larry McDonald, representative from Georgia.  

It didn't end there, Helms pursued it, writing a letter on Dec. 10, 1991, to Boris Yeltsin, requesting, urging," hinting" at the possible benefits of a forthright Russian Federation compliance, asking for real time military communications and radar tracking, for an accounting of the people and crew of KAL 007, how many were alive, where they were kept, location of camps, the fate of passenger and sitting congressman [[Larry McDonald]], representative from Georgia.  

This was personal. Helms had traveled on KAL 015 fifteen minutes behind KAL 007, had stopped at Anchorage airport, as did Larry, had gotten off KAL 015. Larry did not. Reports tell us that Helms had contemplated changing to KAL 007 to be with Larry but decided against it. That near miss must have stayed with him as the outcome of the flight became apparent. As KAL 015 arrived at Seoul Airport and KAL 007 did not. As he attended the 30th Year celebration of the U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty - and Larry did not.  As the reports from Israel of survivors would come to his office 8 years later. As he would write to Yeltsin and Yeltsin would comply with all the requests that Helms had made of him - excepting the fate of the passengers and crew, and especially, the sought after information about Larry McDonald.  

This was personal. Helms had traveled on KAL 015 fifteen minutes behind KAL 007, had stopped at Anchorage airport, as did Larry, had gotten off KAL 015. Larry did not. Reports tell us that Helms had contemplated changing to KAL 007 to be with Larry but decided against it. That near miss must have stayed with him as the outcome of the flight became apparent. As KAL 015 arrived at Seoul Airport and KAL 007 did not. As he attended the 30th Year celebration of the U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty - and Larry did not.  As the reports from Israel of survivors would come to his office 8 years later. As he would write to Yeltsin and Yeltsin would comply with all the requests that Helms had made of him - excepting the fate of the passengers and crew, and especially, the sought after information about Larry McDonald.