ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 9, 1996 TAG: 9611110035
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: Associated Press
Federal officials denied again Friday that ``friendly fire'' caused the TWA Flight 800 crash, a theory given new life by newsman Pierre Salinger's claim a Navy vessel accidentally shot down the jumbo jet.
``We can assure the American public and families of the victims that nothing - nothing - like that did take place or would take place,'' FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom told reporters.
Bristling at the suggestion there was a cover-up of the cause, Kallstrom said, ``as I stand here today,'' it is still unknown whether a bomb, a missile or a mechanical failure caused the July 17 explosion that killed all 230 people aboard.
But he said one thing is known: ``The military had nothing to do with this horrendous tragedy.''
Salinger, a former ABC News correspondent and spokesman for President Kennedy, told reporters Thursday in Cannes, France, that he has obtained a document detailing how the Navy was testing missiles off Long Island and accidentally hit Flight 800 because the Paris-bound plane was flying lower than expected.
``The truth must come out,'' Salinger said, adding that he is willing to turn the document over to the FBI.
Salinger said he was told by ``some very important people'' to wait until after the U.S. elections to disclose the information because it could ``make the public very, very unhappy.''
Friday, Salinger told The Associated Press from Paris that he was standing by his claim despite the official denials.
``The FBI is now after me,'' he said. ``They visited my house in Washington last night and spoke to my wife, and I'm sure they are looking to talk to me.''
Rumors that the aircraft was accidentally shot down by the military have abounded on the Internet. But investigators have said on several occasions there is no evidence to support the friendly fire theory.
And again in a joint statement Friday, the FBI, Navy and the National Transportation Safety Board said, ``The so-called `friendly fire' explanation has been thoroughly pursued with the full cooperation of the U.S. Department of Defense and has been found to be totally without foundation.''
The 71-year-old Salinger showed reporters his document on two crumpled pages but wouldn't let them read it. He said it was dated Aug. 22 and given to him five weeks ago by someone in French intelligence, but written by an American who ``was tied to the U.S. Secret Service and has important contacts in the U.S. Navy.''
Salinger said the document was posted on the Internet in September. He did not know the Internet site and said he hadn't seen the site himself.
At least one Internet posting in September included a letter attributed to an unidentified former ``safety chairman'' of the Air Line Pilots Association that said Flight 800 was shot down by a Navy missile.
An ALPA spokesman has called the claim far-fetched.
Lt. Cmdr. Rob Newell, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, said the nearest warship, the USS Normandy, an Aegis-type missile cruiser, was 185 miles to the south and was not conducting weapon drills. Its computer-driven, long-range radar system was on ``low power,'' reaching out only 130 miles, and ``couldn't even see the TWA plane.''
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Pierre Salinger shows a document Friday that he saysby CNBproves the Navy accidentally shot down TWA Flight 800.