Evening star., 1938-06-24
PRISONERS FARE
WELL IN YENAN
Allowed Complete Freedom
in Communist Center of
Anti-Japanism.


By A. T. STEELE,
Correspondence Of the chicaso Daily News.
(Fourth OF a series)
YENAN, Shensi, China.-Walking
down the main street Of this center Of
white-hot Observation-Disclosures
ters Of the Chinese Red army-I got
the surprise Of my life when I en-
countered a uniformed Japanese SOL
dier.
He was sauntering casually through
the dusty thoroughfare and he stopped
briefly at vegetable stall to make .
purchase. The street was crowded
with Chinese soldiers. The walls Of
the mud and gray brick houses were
smeared with anti-Japanese posters.
But the japanese soldier drew scant
attention as he moved along.
The surprising spectacle Of a Japa-
nese soldier walking through the
streets of Yenan is another of those
things which prove this to be land
Of fantasy, where anything seems pos
sible.
The Japanese youth proved to be one
Of five soldiers who had been captured
by the Red army in battle in Shansi
Province. Brought to Yenan, the Red
capital, the prisoners had expected tor
ture and death. Instead they met
kindness and consideration. Here no
guards watch over them and they are
allowed complete freedom Of move
ment. They have been provided with
q Chinese house and in it they amuse
themselves by preparing their own
meals. They are given white rice to
eat-a luxury in this part of China
and they receive more food money
than the Red army soldiers who cap
tured them.
Common Sight in Yenan.
A common sight in Yenan is q jap
anese soldier strolling through the
town carrying q Chinese baby in his
arms. The five men occasionally at
tend theatrical performances or mass
meetings at which anti-Japanese plays
are presented and anti-Japanese
speeches ares made. Sometimes they
are asked to contribute something to
the program.
During the early days of their stay
IN Yenan, the Japanese prisoners were
subjected to insults and jeers in the
streets. One Of them put a stop to
this by getting up at mass meeting
and in broken Chinese imploring the
Chinese to be more considerate Of the
feelings of their japanese visitors. He
pointed out to his hearers that he and
his comrades were in no sympathy
with the japanese Imperialism as prac-
ticed by the japanese army and that
they wanted only the sympathy and
friendship Of the Chinese people.
These remarks scored a hit and from
that time forward the japanese were
treated with consideration.
No pressure is being brought to
bear on the captives to adopt COM
munistic beliefs. Yet while they have
not embraced the political doctrines
OF their captors, their views to.
ward the Chinese have undergone a
marked change.
In order to offset the violently anti.
communist propaganda Of the Japa.
nese Army and to educate" the Japa-
nese troops to the true conditions"
behind the Red lines, the Red arnv
has organized a special department
OF propaganda made up largely of
men educated in Japan. Posters ad-
vising the Japanese soldiers of the
utility of carrying on a war of
aggression and urging them to sur.
render peacefully when trapped are
posted IN villages through which the
Japanese are likely to pass on their
periodic communist hunting" expe.
ditions.
In Cheerful Mood.
I paid visit to the five Japanese
IN Yenan. They were in a cheer
ful mood and were busy concoctine
dumplings for their evening meal.
They were, however, a bit camera
shy. apparently fearful that their
pictures would get back to japan.
The Reds claim that they are trying
to induce the Japanese to return to
Japan. but that the latter are not
eager to go, apparently fearing dis
grace or punishment.
In the old days of internecine war
fare the Red army kept itself well
stocked with military equipment by
raids on government supply trains,
Ioday this same technique is work.
Ing fairly well against the Japanese.
The effectiveness of the Red army's
guerrilla operations Is indicated bv
the amount of captured Japanese
equipment which one sees behind the
Red lines.
The Red army is woefully short
OF uniforms and munitions and docs
not hesitate to make use Of captured
goods. 1t Is not uncommon to see
soldiers of the Red army wearing
Japanese Army overcoats. In fact.
authorities here claim that there is
one regiment of the Red army called
the yellow Regiment" because its
members are equipped entirely with
Japanese Army topcoats.
Candies Seized in Raid.
Captured Japanese rice has fed
Isolated Red army detachments for
months at time. In my quarters
at Yenan there was always a plate
OF candies, renewed daily. I won
dered at this little extravaganza by
my hosts, until discovered that the
sweets were Of Japanese manufac-
ture and had been seized in a raid
on q Japanese military caravan. In
such raids the captured trucks are
usually burned, after they have been
unloaded, for they cannot be driven
across country into the remote noun
tain haunts of the guerrilla fighters.
The Chinese Reds take extarordi-
nary precautions against spies and
traitors. All persons entering or
leaving Red territory are searched
and questioned with great thorough
ness. Shortly before I arrived At
Yenan, q young Chinese had been
arrested on . charge of acting as
an informer for the Japanese. In
. public trial held before a peoples
court he confessed his guilt and was