The downing of Flight 007: 30 years later, a Cold War tragedy still seems surreal

CNN ^ | August 31, 2013 | Thom Patterson

[cunning_fish]

(CNN) -- The idea that Soviet fighter jets would shoot down a Boeing 747 airliner seems shockingly unbelievable. Two-hundred sixty-nine innocent people died in a largely forgotten Cold War attack that took place exactly 30 years ago this weekend.

On a sultry August night in 1983 at New York's JFK airport, Alice Ephraimson-Abt, a brilliant, 23-year-old, blue-eyed blonde, was about to board Korean Air Lines Flight 007 for Seoul, South Korea, halfway around the world. For one last time, she held her father, New Jersey businessman Hans Ephraimson-Abt, before saying goodbye. "There were hugs and I-love-yous," her father, now 91, told CNN.

Alice -- who was excited about heading Beijing to teach English and study -- could have been a diplomat -- a contributor to peace, her father said. "Her death was a great loss to her generation."

The ramifications of the shoot-down of Flight 007 reverberated far beyond the lives lost. It sparked global outrage, conspiracy theories and an activist movement that continues today. It also joined a list of disturbing developments that made 1983 one of the scariest years of the Cold War. Not since 1962's Cuban Missile Crisis had the world teetered so close to the unthinkable, according to declassified documents released last May.

It seemed like each month brought with it new and troubling headlines.

President Ronald Reagan, in March, said the Soviet Union amounted to an "evil empire." A few weeks later Washington announced it was working on a new space-based weapon. The press dubbed it "Star Wars."

[peyton randolph]

Remember Congressman Larry McDonald, President of the John Birch Society, who was assassinated by the shooting down of this aircraft.

[Repeal The 17th]

Lawrence Patton McDonald, M.D. (April 1, 1935 – September 1, 1983) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the seventh congressional district of Georgia as a Democrat.

He was a passenger on board Korean Air Lines Flight 007 when it was shot down by Soviet interceptors and presumed dead.

A conservative Democrat, he was active in numerous civic organizations and maintained a very conservative voting record in Congress.

He was known for his staunch opposition to communism and believed in long standing covert efforts by Trilateral Commission and other powerful US groups to bring about a socialism and world government.

He was the second president of the John Birch Society and also a cousin of General George S. Patton.
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[Count of Monte Fisto]

A conservative Democrat, he was active in numerous civic organizations and maintained a very conservative voting record in Congress.

McDonald only ran as a Democrat because his district was traditionally Democrat and a Repbulcian would never have a chance.

From what I understand McDonald was planning to run for President. He had a chance in 84 and would have definitely blown "ex"-CIA commander Poppy Bush out of the water in 88.

The Globalist Banksters weren't going to let that happen.

[Fiji Hill]

...a Cold War tragedy...

A tragedy? That's like calling the attack on Pearl Harbor a tragedy!

[Flag_This]

"The Globalist Banksters weren't going to let that happen."

What? They couldn't arrange a car accident, or a "robbery gone wrong," so they had the soviets shoot down a freakin' airliner? Seriously?

[Mark17]

I knew someone on that aircraft too, though I did not know it until a year after. It was someone I knew from church. She was going to Korea to see her parents, who were missionaries there.

[1rudeboy]

Hey, the globalist banksters not only were smart enough to wait until McDonald was on a plane, but they were sneaky enough to wait for one that strayed into Soviet airspace.

[gunnyg]

“Remember Congressman Larry McDonald, President of the John Birch Society, who was assassinated by the shooting down of this aircraft.”
*****

To me, the big untold story here was Cong Larry Patton McDonald....but...told @ certain places online...even today...!!!!!

Semper Blogging !!!!!
Dick G
*****

[Flag_This]

"...they were sneaky enough to wait for one that strayed into Soviet airspace."

Who could have known one of the last surviving kamikaze pilots was working for Korean Airlines?

[tomkat]

The first and only telegram I ever sent was addressed to President Reagan following this atrocity.
Of course it wasn't from him personally, but the reply, long since misplaced, shared my outrage and urged continuing resolve.

Yes, a telegram, it was that long ago.

I remember listening to his 'star wars' speech and having serious goosebumps and a big throat lump .. it sounded like the sincerest bid for meaningful peace in my lifetime.

[hoosierham]

It was a mass murder.
No way it was an accident.

[raccoonradio]

Wikipedia: “ Former president Richard Nixon was to have been seated next to Larry McDonald on KAL 007 but decided to not go, according to the New York Post and TASS”

Wiki also says Jesse Helms was on another flight trailing it.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I was working a midnight shift at the plant and had the radio on. About 1:00 the news reported an aircraft missing. I kept up with the news every hour all night as the story progressed.

I have read that when the MIG shot the aircraft out of the air, it took fifteen minutes for the plant to hit the ocean. Fifteen minutes of terror for the passengers.

[DocRock]

Funny you mention telegrams as my father had a telex. When KAL007 was shot down he got the news “hot off the wire”. What is not funny is that he regually flew on KAL007 for business. It shook our whole family to the core.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Notice,

Delta flight 006 is called "flight six".

United Flight 084 is called "flight eighty-four".

It's only Korean 007 that we have been taught by our media to call "flight double O seven".

Could it be our media is trying to tell us something about their political opinions.

[Count of Monte Fisto]

What? They couldn't arrange a car accident, or a "robbery gone wrong," so they had the soviets shoot down a freakin' airliner? Seriously

The Globalists would think of nothing of killing hundreds of people to get one man. They, through our government, are arming Al-CIA-duh to slaughter Christians and 100,000 civilians in Syria.

Senator Jesse Helms, Senator Steve Symms of Idaho and Representative Carroll Hubbard, Jr. of Kentucky, all the most anti-New World Order members of Congress, were going to Korea with McDonald but they ended up on separate flights at the last minute.

And they didn't just kill McDonald. You can bet they tortured the hell out of McDonald for information on his knowledge of anti-communist patriots throughout the world. Between Congress, the Birchers, the Western Goals Foundation, and other pro-liberty organizations McDonald was involved with he was privy to the equivalent of a clandestine intelligence network. An anti-Globalist network McDonald was going to use to get into the White House.

[discostu]

Or we’ve been programed by a 50 year old movie franchise to say a certain sequence of numbers a certain way.

[Flag_This]

"Senator Jesse Helms, Senator Steve Symms of Idaho and Representative Carroll Hubbard, Jr. of Kentucky, all the most anti-New World Order members of Congress, were going to Korea with McDonald but they ended up on separate flights at the last minute."

If some shadow organization had the power to order the soviets to shoot down a civilian airliner, they also had they power to eliminate a handful of troublesome legislators through much easier methods. Helms, Symms and Hubbard were around for years after this incident.

[The Sons of Liberty]

So who did the klintons assassinate on TWA 800 ?