Not Spy balloons after all, says US  

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#USA, February 15, 2023 – The United States says the three objects shot down in quick succession over the weekend are likely used for commercial purposes not intelligence gathering, but maintain that the very first balloon in the saga, shot down on February 4th was definitely a spy balloon. 

No reports of anyone stepping forward to claim the balloons that were shut down over Alaska, Canada, and Michigan on Friday, Saturday and Sunday have yet been made, but the US is seeking to allay fears in its residents.

While confirming that they believed China did in fact, have a spy balloon program, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council said, based on intelligence these three objects “could just be balloons tied to some benign purpose”.

It’s news that could let some air out of the bubble of tension between the United States and China over the balloon fiasco that had increased fears of Chinese surveillance over the west and caused threats of retaliation to be flung back-and-forth between the two world powers.

Already US media is reporting that a canceled diplomatic meeting between Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State and China may be back on, this time in Germany.