Allen Lawrence Pope

Who is Allen Lawrence Pope?

Allen Lawrence Pope is a retired US military and paramilitary aviator. Pope is a native of Miami, Florida, and a graduate of the University of Florida. Pope rose to international attention when he became the subject of a diplomatic dispute between the USA and Indonesia after the B-26 aircraft he was piloting was shot down over Ambon on 18 May 1958 during the Indonesian crisis.

Pope's early career was with the United States Air Force, in which he served with distinction flying bombing missions in the Korean War. In 1954, he transferred to the CIA, in which he served with distinction flying transport missions in the First Indochina War. In the Permesta rebellion in Indonesia in 1958, Pope flew bombing missions for the CIA. Indonesian government forces shot down his plane, captured him and held him under house arrest for just over four years. In 1960, an Indonesian court condemned him to death, but in 1962 President Sukarno released him. Pope returned to the USA and subsequently flew CIA covert missions in other theaters.

Pope is now retired and lives in the USA. In 2005, France made him a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur for his service in Indochina.