TOKYO, July 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. military suspects alleged U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins assisted North Korea in the 1968 seizure of a U.S. ship, a Japanese daily said Friday.
A U.S. Navy intelligence ship, the USS Pueblo, was attacked by North Korean naval ships and MiG jets on Jan. 23, 1968, while on an intelligence mission off the North Korean coast.
One man was killed, several wounded, and North Korea held the 82 survivors captive for 11 months.
The Japan Times reported that Charles Jenkins, who allegedly defected to North Korea in 1965 while on duty in South Korea, may have assisted, directly or indirectly, in the seizure of the ship.
Quoting an unnamed U.S. military source, the Sankei Shimbun said that Jenkins, 64, may have served as an interpreter when North Koreans questioned the U.S. servicemen, translated records of the interrogations and other documents, and cooperated in investigating the ship's structure.
