WASHINGTON: The White House said today [Jan 23] that North Korea’s seizure of a US Navy intelligence ship with 83 men aboard represents a “very serious situation”.

President Johnson was awakened about 2 a.m. Washington time (0700 GMT) to be told of the seizure.

The Pentagon claimed the seizure occurred in international waters and some members of Congress described it as “an act of piracy” and a “clear violation of international law”.

The United States asked Russia to deliver to North Korea an urgent request for the immediate release of the naval intelligence ship “Pueblo” and its crew.

There was no indication whether the incident was regarded as critical enough to merit use of the White House-Kremlin “hotline”, an instantaneous telering channel which links the two capitals, used first during last June’s Middle East war in a mutual attempt to keep East-West tensions under control.

Secretary of State Dean Rusk described the seizure of the vessel as a matter of “utmost gravity”. President Johnson, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and other top policymakers were expected to consider what further action the US might take at a White House meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2018