Sacrificed to Secrecy

Four Secret MIAs of the Cold War : The Second Taiwan Crisis of 1958

On October 1st, 1958, a PBY-5 amphibious a/c , the Blue Goose-Blue Swan, was declared missing in a flight over the Formosa Straits. Carrying 4 US servicemen and 7 other personnel, it flew into a 'no radar' zone and never returned. The USG has never acknowledged these men, nor has the USG honored them for the ultimate sacrifice they made for the cause of Freedom. In doing so, these men can be appropriately added to the list of POW/MIA.

What happened to these 11 men, 4 of them American Servicemen? Why are their names not included on the list of Cold War Missing? Like other loss incidents that have come to light over recent years, these men are hidden in history.

The families of these men, US Army Major Robert C. Bloom - Eau Claire, WI, Captain Wayne F. Pitcher - Asbury Park, NJ, PFC Claude L. Baird - Duff, TN, and US Navy RM3 Dwight H. Turner - Clarence, MO, want answers. They have waited 45 years and not only have they no answers, but their loved ones have no recognition for their sacrifice.

But why would the USG go to such lengths to cover-up, ignore publicly, this loss? Perhaps the answer lies in a document written on 13 August 1958, seven weeks before the Blue Goose went missing. It is titled

TOP SECRET
Memorandum for Mr. Herter
from Gerard C. Smith, U.S. Department of State,
August 13, 1958

and is described as: "Written by the State Department's then-Director of Policy Planning, Gerard C. Smith, to Eisenhower's Undersecretary of State, Christian Herter, this memo points out in chilling terms the nuclear consequences of public commitments by the U.S. to defend Quemoy and Matsu, the islands between Taiwan and mainland China occupied by Chiang Kai-Shek's forces but claimed by the Chinese Communists. Smith describes the Joint Chiefs of Staff war plans for defense of the islands as moving automatically into nuclear strikes on Shanghai and Canton, among other mainland China targets, resulting in "millions of non-combatant casualties."

13 August 1958 Memorandum Page 1

13 August 1958 Memorandum Page 2

13 August 1958 Memorandum Page 3

With such ominous warnings the secret nuclear history of the US and the Cold War Era seem to have insured that innocent Americans would be sacrificed to silence in order to preserve the tenuous balance of power and privileged information in those dark days.

Perhaps the USG knew then, as it does now, the truth in Mao Tse Tung's 1959 words - "the Chinese People’s Republic does not intend to start a war with the United States of America over Taiwan. We can wait 10-20 and even 30 or 40 years, ... However, while not starting a war over Taiwan, we will always say and pronounce, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese People’s Republic." With Mao's words and the numerous memorandums like the Smith-Herter one above, the perilous nature of Sino-Soviet-US relations made the US unwilling to rattle it's sabre and the nerves of China and the USSR for the missing men.

Perhaps none of the above had any influence of the USG's silence over this incident and the subsequent secrecy of the MIA status of Bloom, Pitcher, Baird and Turner.

One thing is clear. On 01 October 1958 4 Americans in uniform went missing and 45 years later they need to be acknowledged and honored and their families provided with answers.

The following narrative on the Second Taiwan Crisis and the loss of the Blue Goose is a labor of love by Blue Goose MIA sisters who have waited for 45 years.

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In recent years the focus on POW/MIA issues has revealed the staggering number of US servicemen that remain unaccounted from past Wars and Conflicts.

The statistics show the 1st Taiwan Crisis 1951-1954, claimed the lives of at least 106 US servicemen and list as many as 124 missing and/or captured over the mainland of China. However, there is still no mention of the casualties and the MIA's from the 2nd Taiwan Crisis of 1958.

Little is known about this silent part of the Cold War and how the US Military personnel were placed in harms way while training and assisting the ROC Military to build a defense against the enemy forces of Communist China. These successful efforts insured a Freedom for the Taiwan people that has remained evident for more than four decades.

At the same time, four American families have endured the darker side of that crisis. The uncertainty of yet another incident that claimed the lives of four US servicemen who remain unaccounted for, still today.

The four US Military personnel were: US Army Major Robert C. Bloom - Eau Claire, WI. Captain Wayne F. Pitcher - Asbury Park, NJ. PFC Claude L. Baird - Duff, TN. and US Navy RM3 Dwight H. Turner - Clarence, MO.All were members of the elite Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) TAIWAN.  Captain Pitcher, PFC Baird and RM3 Turner were assigned to the Matsu Defense Command at the time they went missing.

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On October 1, 1958 a PBY-5 amphibious aircraft, the Blue Goose/Blue Swan was declared missing in flight over the Formosa Straits. In route from Matsu to Taipei, it carried four US servicemen, three ROC Army officers, and a crew of four Nationalist civilians. The Foshing Airlines flying boat was chartered by the Ministry of National Defense. Among the many services provided by Foshing Airlines, it also served to re supply the islands and transport members of the US and ROC military personnel through out the islands.

As reported by the Dept. of ARMY, Major Bloom served as Finance Officer and had boarded the flight in Taipei enroute to Matsu to pay military personnel and was on the return flight to Taipei. Captain Pitcher, PFC Baird, and RM3 Turner had completed their assigned TDY on Matsu and were returning to Taipei for R&R.

The aircrafts crew members made routine contact with Matsu after departure. Flying at an altitude of 1000 ft. to escape the radar of enemy aircraft, then half way the flight at 37 nautical miles from Matsu and 61 nautical miles from Taipei, the aircraft would enter the "no radar zone" of the Straits, a distance of approximately 12 to 15 miles. At this point all contact was lost. The Blue Goose/Blue Swan and the eleven men were never heard from again.

Failing to reach its destination on Taipei, search and rescue efforts were immediately underway. Repeated searches of the Straits by US Air Force, US Navy and the ROC Military failed to produce the slightest clue of evidence the aircraft had crashed at sea. Experts tell us that more likely than not, the construction of this PBY-5 would have provided water surface debris and only under rare and extreme conditions the aircraft would have sank so readily. While some contend that weather conditions could have caused an accident at sea, official reports from the Dept. of Army and the ROC verify that weather conditions were not a factor.

Official contact to the families ceased in the early 1960s. Since that time the sisters of PFC Claude L. Baird have continued to search for truth and clarity of what happened to their brother and his comrades.

Margaret Baird Petree of Waterford, MI and Sue Baird Walden of Pioneer, TN have been met with a difficult task trying to unravel the unexplained issues of this case. They have found that the shadows that covered the events of the Cold War continue to complicate their efforts today.

In recent years their research has revealed information that was not made available to the families so many years ago. Petree and Walden provided the information to the Dept.of Army/ DPMO and asked that the case be investigated. Their request was acknowledged and the case was opened in August 2000.

Petree and Walden direct their focus to the discovery of conflicting information that was documented by the US and ROC Governments, the Ministry of National Defense and from the assessments made by US military officials at the time of the incident.

Their findings include:
The Dept. of Army declared the incident an Operational Loss. The American families were told the aircraft and it's passengers were "lost without a trace" on October 1,1958. The status for these servicemen was MISSING for a period of one year. Then, without proof of evidence to show these men to be alive or evidence to confirm their deaths, a Presumptive Finding of Death was recorded on October 2, 1959.

The ROC/MND Incident Report does not indicate that a determination was made as to the cause of the incident, but the Taiwanese families were told it was a "Shoot Down" by enemy aircraft, however no evidence was documented to confirm the aircraft had been shot down. The three ROC officers and four Nationalist crew members were also Presumed Dead on October 2, 1959.

An affiliate of Foshing Airlines reports that the Ministry of National Defense ruled the incident a Mid-Air Collision, even though no evidence of wreckage was found and nothing was recorded by the MND to support that theory.

Brigadier General L. S. Bork, Commander of The Military Assistance Advisory Group 1958 - 1960, shared his strong opinion with the American families that the aircraft was taken by force to the mainland. Borks assessments were based on the evidence submitted by US intelligence sources, from circumstantial evidence, and from his personal knowledge that the Communist Chinese Government offered a sizable reward for the aircraft and a bounty for any US serviceman. All this is emphasized with the fact that on Oct.1, 1958 the aircraft carried valuable Defense plans, an unnamed "special cargo," along with the four members of the Military Assistance Advisory Group.

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In 1958, intelligence sources reported the aircraft and crew members were seen in Shanghai shortly after the incident. Still another report said that a crew member was seen in Tokyo. While the USG did not confirm or deny the reports of these sightings, it is documented that approximately two weeks following the incident, an American news reporter over heard a Chinese radio news broadcast reporting the aircraft had reached the mainland and identified the name of one of the three ROC officers. During the same time frame, two of the American families also heard similar newscasts that reported the names of the US servicemen and it confirmed that they were being held in Communist China.

Records show that on several occasions the Dept. of State presented the case to the Communist Chinese Government's Ambassador Wang, at the Ambassador Talks from 1958 to at least 1964.

Petree and Walden have questioned, if the Dept. of Army officially declared the incident to be an Operational Loss , WHY was it investigated at the Ambassador level?

READ: FRUS 1964-68, Vol. XXX, China: Documents 01-10
Inquiry of The Blue Goose is mentioned in Document 10.

History tells us the islands had been under heavy hostile fire since August 23, 1958. The unrest was critical and the safety of our troops was at risk. In view of the compelling information that Petree and Walden have discovered, how is it possible to conclude the mystery ended when the PFD was recorded?

On behalf of Major Bloom, Captain Pitcher, PFC Baird and RM3 Turner, Petree and Walden will continue to search for answers and to insist that the status be changed so that the incident will be justly recognized as a COLD WAR LOSS. The USG has never acknowledged these men, nor has the USG honored them for the ultimate sacrifice they made for the cause of Freedom. In doing so, these men can be appropriately be added to the list of POW/MIA.

In respect to the privacy of the individuals who have contributed to this effort, Petree and Walden offer a "Special Thanks". Also, to many Taiwan veterans who were involved in the 2nd Taiwan Crisis and offer their assistance and support.

Petree and Walden welcome any information from anyone with reference to this incident. All contacts will be kept confidential. You may contact either by email.:

Bluegoose011058@aol.com

sbwtn@aol.com

Second Taiwan Straits Crisis Background:

Taiwan Straits Crisis 1958: Four MIAs Sacrificed to Secrecy

Historical Overview - Foreign Relations of the United States 1958-1960

The Federation of American Scientists - Quemoy and Matsu Islands Defense

The USSR Foreign Ministry's ppraisal Of Sino- Soviet Relations On The Eve Of The Split,
September 1959 by Mark Kramer

A Conversation with Mao, 1959 - From the Cold War International History Project