Changes

*On December 10, 1992 Senator Jesse Helms wrote to Russian president [[Boris Yeltsin]].  

*On December 10, 1992 Senator Jesse Helms wrote to Russian president [[Boris Yeltsin]].  

"One of the greatest tragedies of the Cold War," he wrote, "was the shoot-down of the Korean Airlines Flight 007 by the Armed Forces of what was then the Soviet Union on September 1, 1983. . . The KAL-007 tragedy was one of the most tense incidences of the entire Cold War. However, now that relations between our two nations have improved substantially, I believe that it is time to resolve the mysteries surrounding this event. Clearing the air on this issue could help further to improve relations.<ref>http://www.rescue007.org/helms_letter.htm</ref>" At about the same time a military memo boasting of the secret would make its way into Yeltsin's hands, leading to the discovery of the black boxes as well as the top secret reports about them by the Soviet Defense Ministry.  Yeltsin would ultimately respond on January 8, 1993 by handing over to the International Civil Aviation Organization what the Russians had for so many years denied possessing: the tapes of the KAL 007's "Black Box" (its Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder).<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20010919141246/www.insightmag.com/archive/200104171.shtml</ref><ref>http://www.jamesoberg.com/russian/kal007.html</ref>

"One of the greatest tragedies of the Cold War," he wrote, "was the shoot-down of the Korean Airlines Flight 007 by the Armed Forces of what was then the Soviet Union on September 1, 1983. . . The KAL-007 tragedy was one of the most tense incidences of the entire Cold War. However, now that relations between our two nations have improved substantially, I believe that it is time to resolve the mysteries surrounding this event. Clearing the air on this issue could help further to improve relations.<ref>http://www.rescue007.org/helms_letter.htm</ref>" At about the same time a military memo boasting of the secret would make its way into Yeltsin's hands, leading to the discovery of the black boxes as well as the top secret reports about them by the Soviet Defense Ministry.  Yeltsin would ultimately respond on January 8, 1993 by handing over to the International Civil Aviation Organization what the Russians had for so many years denied possessing: the tapes of the KAL 007's "Black Box" (its Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder).<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20010919141246/www.insightmag.com/archive/200104171.shtml</ref><ref>http://www.jamesoberg.com/russian/kal007.html</ref>

*Previous to the shootdown, the Reagan Administration was far from assured that the Administration supported NATO deployment of Cruise and Pershing II missiles in West Germany, just 6–10 minutes flight to Moscow, would go through. After the shootdown, deployment was assured and remained in effect until the accords with Mikhail Gorbachev allowed for their withdrawal. The shootdown can thus be seen as one of the main incidences leading to the confrontational Reagan policy in the "Second Cold War" which played its part in the backdown and demise of the Soviet Union.  

*Previous to the shootdown, the Reagan Administration was far from assured that the Administration supported NATO deployment of Cruise and Pershing II missiles in West Germany, just 6–10 minutes flight to Moscow, would go through. After the shootdown, deployment was assured and remained in effect until the accords with Mikhail Gorbachev allowed for their withdrawal. The shootdown can thus be seen as one of the main incidences leading to the confrontational Reagan policy in the "Second Cold War" which played its part in the backdown and demise of the Soviet Union.  

*[http://www.rescue007.org/book.htm Schlossberg, Bert. Rescue 007: The Untold Story of KAL 007 and its Survivors, Xlibris Corporation, Philadelphia, PA (2001)]

*[http://www.rescue007.org/book.htm Schlossberg, Bert. Rescue 007: The Untold Story of KAL 007 and its Survivors, Xlibris Corporation, Philadelphia, PA (2001)]

*[http://foia.fbi.gov/flight/flight1.pdf FBI files on the incident obtained via the Fredom of Information Act]

*[http://foia.fbi.gov/flight/flight1.pdf FBI files on the incident obtained via the Fredom of Information Act]

*[http://web.archive.org/web/20010919141246/www.insightmag.com/archive/200104171.shtml Timothy W. Maier's article "KAL 007 Mystery", from ''Insight Magazine'']

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010919141246/www.insightmag.com/archive/200104171.shtml Timothy W. Maier's article "KAL 007 Mystery", from ''Insight Magazine'']

*[http://www.geocities.com/struwwellpeter/cvr.htm Transcript of the cockpit voice recorder]

*[http://www.geocities.com/struwwellpeter/cvr.htm Transcript of the cockpit voice recorder]

*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926169,00.html "Atrocity in the Skies", ''Time'' Magazine, September 12, 1983]

*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926169,00.html "Atrocity in the Skies", ''Time'' Magazine, September 12, 1983]