“They’re Going to Want it Back”

Absolutely fascinating long read on one of the first North Korean MiG pilots to defect:

But before they showed him off to reporters, they decided he needed some coaching. On one especially touchy subject, they coached him to lie. A well-dressed American in civilian clothes (whose name No never heard) asked if he had ever seen American fighter jets in Chinese airspace. Of course, No replied, he had seen many American Sabres shoot down MiGs on takeoff and landing from Manchurian airfields. The well-dressed man said that if a reporter asked about these incursions in Manchuria, No must say he had seen nothing.

For his part, Ike disliked defectors, wanted to send the MiG back to the USSR, and didn’t want to pay the $100000 that the pilot was owed.