[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE CREW OF THE RB-47H SHOT DOWN OVER INTERNATIONAL WATERS 
                  BY THE SOVIET UNION ON JULY 1, 1960

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 2009

  Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Major Willard 
Palm, Captain Freeman B. Olmstead, Captain John McKone, and the crew of 
the RB-47H shot down over international waters by the Soviet Union on 
July 1, 1960. This recognition is well-deserved and highlights the 
unending service and integrity of our men and women in uniform.
  The plane was crewed by Major Willard Palm as aircraft commander; 
Captain Freeman B. Olmstead as pilot; Captain John McKone as navigator.
  Freeman B. Olmstead was born in Elmira, New York, and brought up in a 
devout Episcopal family. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from 
Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio. He entered active duty with the Air 
Force in 1957.
  McKone was a native of Tonganoxie, Kansas, and he graduated from 
Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in history in 1954. He 
entered active duty on March 15, 1955.
  On July 1, 1960, a United States Air Force RB-47H based at Forbes Air 
Force Base, Kansas, departed from Brize-Norton Royal Air Force Base in 
England. The flight's planned route kept the plane over international 
waters.
  A MiG-19 fighter intercepted the American bomber in the Barents Sea. 
The MiG eventually opened fire on the RB-47H. Olmstead and McKone 
successfully ejected and survived only to be picked up by a Soviet 
fishing vessel. The aircraft commander, however, perished in the 
Barents Sea.
  Ten days after the shootdown, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev 
announced that they had shot down the bomber and captured the two 
crewmen. The pair were imprisoned in Moscow's Lubyanka prison, and 
accused by the Soviets of espionage, punishable by death, for allegedly 
violating the Soviet Sea frontier.
  Shortly after the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, Premier 
Nikita Khrushchev extended an offer to free Olmstead and McKone 
quickly--but with three terms later agreed to.
  After seven months of imprisonment and interrogation the guards drove 
Captain Freeman B. Olmstead and Captain John McKone to the American 
embassy. They were handed over to U.S. officials to be reunited with 
their families without having disclosed any information to the Soviet 
government.
  Madam Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Armed Services, I am 
continuously struck by the integrity of our servicemembers. With 
examples like Captain Freeman B. Olmstead and Captain John McKone it is 
clear where this integrity comes from and I ask my colleagues to join 
me in honoring them.

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