Pueblo Incident

(1968) Capture of the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence ship, by North Korea off its coast on Jan.

23, 1968. The U.S. initiated negotiations with North Korea to secure the release of its 83 crewmen. The resulting agreement allowed the U.S. to publicly disavow the confession the crew had signed while privately admitting its truth; the U.S. also acknowledged the ship's intrusion into North Korean waters and agreed not to undertake similar intelligence gathering activities in the future. An inquiry into the crew's confession and the conduct of the ship's commander produced no apparent disciplinary action.

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▪ United States history

      capture of the USS “Pueblo,” a Navy intelligence ship, and its 83 crewmen by North Korean patrol boats off the coast of North Korea on Jan. 23, 1968. The United States, maintaining that the “Pueblo” had been in international waters, began a military buildup in the area. It also initiated negotiations that resulted in an agreement that secured the release of the 82 surviving crewmen (one died from wounds suffered during the capture) on Dec. 23, 1968. The agreement allowed the United States to publicly disavow the confession the crew had signed, admitting the ship's intrusion, apologizing, pledging to cease all future action, and acknowledging the truth of confessions obtained during captivity. A naval inquiry into these confessions and the actions of Comdr. Lloyd M. Bucher produced no apparent disciplinary action.

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