Evening star., 1950-11-23
Korea
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/ NVICO
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Lake Success by Chinese Com
munist delegation en- route tt
the U. N.
Col. Echols also denied reports
that efforts were being made to
work out a mass surrender OF
withdrawal of Chinese forces
whose sudden appearance ir
Korea in late October prolonged
the war.
Chinese Retreat Everywhere.
| Nevertheless, the Chinese were
withdrawing everywhere. Chi
nese Nationalists in Taipei saio
the Chinese Reds had been or.
dered to fall back because OF
heavy casualties, intensive bomb
ings and superior U. N. fighting
power.
Actually. there was no more ex-
planation of the Withdrawals thar
of the unprecedented release OF
the q prisoners.
The American POWs were
driven in trucks so miles south
ward from prison camp at Pyok-
tong on the Manchurian border
They were hidden by night to
avoid U. N. war planes and were
released in front of the United
States 1st Cavalry Division lines.
They are veterans OF the Cav
alry's 9th Regiment. The regi-
ment was cut off and savagely
attacked in the surprise Red
counteroffensive in the Unsan area
of Northwest Korea October 81
and November l.
The prisoners-all enlisted men
said they were well fed, well
treated and cared for by two
captured American doctors. They
were not questioned about U. N
MILITARY QlSpOSlUlOnS.
Headquarters Relieved.
When released, their guards
shook hands with the Americans
and told them how to reach theil
own lines. Those unable to walk
were carried by their comrades
to American lines.
United States 9th Army head.
quarters was surprised and re-
lieved at the unannounced release
Headquarters began to wonder al
the meaning of the Chiense &C.
ton. Both the treatment of the
men and their release was ir
marked contrast to atrocities com.
mitted by Norh Korean Reds.
Freed Americans said that once
a North Korean guard shot 6
struggling American cavalrymar
in the foot. The Chinese beat
the North Korean ''furiously."
Whatever the Chinese reason
for releasing the Americans, i
was a Thanksgiving Day gift fol
the freed men.
Most GIs in Korea ate Turkey
Patrol Action at Front.
On the battlefronts only patro
action was reported. They movee
on the heavily manned northwest
front, around the Ciaangjin res.
ervoir, which United States Ma.
rines are enveloping in the center
of the peninsula, and near thu
Manchurian border town of Hyes.
amin, held by the United State.
7th Division.
Reds withdrew whenever U. N
patrols approached, although they
often outnumbered the patrols
Usually they retreated without
firing a shot.
South Koreans moving up tn.
east coast ran into less opposition
as they approached Chongjin, S:
miles from the Soviet. border
Other South Koreans took Haps,
yesterday and captured Sackans
after brief fight.
U. N. air raids were relatively
light, concentrating on secondary
rail lines in the northwest.
| Lull Has Lasted Over Week.
| A strange lull has been hang.
ing over the northwest front fol
more than a week. United Ma
tions forces have advanced very
slowly and usually against no op.
position. Chinese troops, wher
encountered. have exchanged 9
few shots and then broken off
contact.
Until today. a military spokes-
man confined his explanation tt
saying the Reds were building g
new defense line farther ,north
and were not interested in hold
ing the ground in Sbetween.
/ The slowness of the U. N. ad-
vance, the spokesman had said
previously. was to prevent an
lother serious thanking attack O,
q large-scale ambush such as
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