'Friendly Fire' Pilot Repeats Coverup Allegation

"They didn't want to fix the problem. They wanted to fix the blame," Schmidt said, almost exactly the same phrase he used in his first talk on TV about the incident, in June. However, Col. John Odom, who led the prosecution against Schmidt and his wingman, has said the pilots broke the rules. Schmidt was told not to drop the bomb, but did so. Friscolanti reported that the U.S. air force did not know the Canadians were in the area, even though Canadian officials informed the U.S. headquarters. In the book, Schmidt said the attack only became an issue because it involved non-Americans. "I think I'm a victim of the fact that it was an international accident," Schmidt told Friscolanti. If the bomb had killed Americans, the Pentagon would have hushed it up. But because it involved Canadians, the Pentagon had to recognize the command system was flawed, or find someone to blame. "You're going to put America's command-and-control structure on trial?" Schmidt told Friscolanti. "It's not going to happen." http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/10/28/schmidt-book051028.html?print

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