An Airplane for OUN

Along with the materials on the creation by the Union of Hetmanists-Statesmen in Canada and the United States in the 1930s of schools for training Ukrainian pilots, as already mentioned, in the archives there are documents on the OUN representatives’ attempts to purchase an airplane and organize a flight school. Then the information about this came to the attention of the GPU and made the leadership of the Stalinist special services in Moscow worry.

In March 1934, Volodymyr Karelin, the Chief of the Foreign Department of the GPU of the Ukrainian SSR, received a letter from the Central Office of the OGPU, which read as follows: “We are sending a letter from Lyakhovych to Kokarnyshchenko from the archive of the ODVU regarding the organization of the Ukrainian Military Organization’s flight school and Agent S/10’s report on this matter. Besides, we received A/212’s report on the creation in America of 2 flight schools by the Ukrainian Sich – one in New York and another for naval pilots in Chicago. This was reported to Hetman Skoropadsky by the known to you Colonel Shapoval from Chicago”.

The abbreviation ODVU in the document meant the Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine, established in 1931 in New York by the efforts of the OUN. One of the active members of the organization was Yevhen Lyakhovych, an engineer, journalist, public and political figure, former military servicemen of the Ukrainian Galician Army and a member of the underground Ukrainian Military Organization (UVO). In 1923, he left for the United States, graduated from the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, but at the same time did not cease to spread among Ukrainians the ideas of the UVO, and then – of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

According to the document, the foreign agents of the OGPU of the USSR managed to get to the archive of the ODVU and steal from it, among other things, one of Ye. Lyaknovych’s letters, which contained important information. Immediately, the residentura of Soviet intelligence in the United States was instructed to “thoroughly check the information about the organization of the schools, paying special attention to creation of a pilot training school in Europe at the expense of American resources”.

Having read the letter, Chekists had reasons for serious concern. The letter was written on September 24, 1933, when E. Lyakhovych, impressed by meeting in the United States and communicating with Yevgen Konovalets, his stories about the state of affairs in his homeland, gave up his job, regular life and left for Europe. He wanted to be as close as possible to his native land and be useful in the struggle for restoration of Ukraine's independence.

The letter is addressed to Kokarnyshchenko, his good acquaintance in business affairs in the United States, who held a certain position at the enterprise for the production of aircrafts. In the letter, Ye. Lyakhovych points out that he was forced to postpone his dreams of organizing own factory and go to Europe, where he was engaged in journalism and political activities. “During my stay in the land (Ukraine- Transl.)”, he wrote, “I was convinced that even my own activity, as it should serve our people, could successfully develop only in an independent state”. He further writes that the struggle for independence is progressing at a significant pace, and expresses confidence that in the near future these dreams will come true, and for this everyone must make some effort.

After such an introduction, Ye. Lyakhovych moved to the essence of the matter and expressed a request: “I am currently cooperating with the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists... I told European nationalist circles about your position at the aircraft factory, as well as about your extensive knowledge in this sphere. They instructed me to establish contacts with you. Could you be so kind as to write a “scientific study” on the manufacturing of aircrafts in our region after the overthrow of the occupiers, emphasizing our real potential as well as our shortcomings”.

He did not stop there but made the following request: “We need at least one airplane for our work. If we had it, we could create a pilot training school in one of friendly countries. We need this in the interests of the common cause… I ask you on behalf of the OUN (forgive my boldness) to make one plane for us “as a gift”. If it is not completely new - it does not matter… In case if you cannot donate it, then try to sell it at a reduced price. The money for this plane will be collected by our Ukrainian emigrants”.

In conclusion, E. Lyakhovych, addressing Kokarnyshchenko, points out that he has extensive ties in the US military circles, and therefore asks to find out whether someone could transfer the military-technical means already not needed by them for the needs of the OUN.

Another document from the archives of the Intelligence shows that this story had a continuation. The report of the foreign agent of the GPU of the Ukrainian SSR S/10 of March 13, 1934 mentions the intention of the ODVU to organize pilot training cources for Ukrainian young people. “The instructors were to be officers of the US Army”, reads a document entitled “Questions About the Aircraft”, and students would have to be trained on their own plane. There was a man who was ready to give money to buy the machine. But the case dragged on due to the strange attitude of the team in Ukraine”.

The GPU agent learned that there was a person who could provide the plane and help train the pilots, but he could not find out the name of the person. At the same time, he reported that “it was difficult to find 20 guys who could support themselves and live in America while studying at the school”. That is, a number of circumstances did not let implement this plan.

Therefore, archival documents show that, along with the Union of Hetmanists-Statesmen, representatives of the OUN also considered various forms, methods and means in the struggle for Ukraine's long-awaited independence for decades. Aviation was one of such means. Lobbying for this issue, the leaders of the Ukrainian emigration hoped that sooner or later the national liberation struggle in the USSR would flare up with a new force, and then the trained in advance Ukrainian pilots would come in handy, ready to immediately sit at the helm of the plane provided by Western countries and win back the independence of the Ukrainian land.

(Source: BSA of the SZR of Ukraine. – F. 1. – Case 9860).