Evening star., 1950-08-19
Foe Regrouping
-Four Divisions,
Prisoner Says
Allies Lund on Island
IS Miles Southwest
Of Port of Seoul
By ReImon NORM
Assoeiafsd Press Foreign Correspondent

~O''~~f~~''SN'''
TOKYO, Sunday. Aug. 20.-Gen.
Macarthur headquarters said to-
day that four Communist divisions
may be regrouping for a new
assault against United Nations
lines along the Korean north
central front
The poStmidnight war sum-
mary said word of the buildup
came from an unconhrmed
prisoner -of-war report.
North Korean forces continued
their probing along the crucial
Naktong River front. the head
quarters statement reported. as
the Reds sought possible soft spots
in the U. N. wall before Taegu.
long the main forward base Of
the American defense.
Gen. MacArthur's headquarters
did not pin-point the area of the
reported North Korean four-divi-
sion troop buildup, but implied it
was along the Naktong west of
Taegu.
Virtual News Blackout.
A virtual news blackout from
the front made clarif1cation i'm
possible. Associated Press Corre-
Spondent Lief Erickson said in a
dispatch that all teletype and tele-
phone communications for the
press had been removed from the
9th Army headquarters.
1t is through this spot that al
most all press dispatches from
Korea are funneled to Tokyo for
relay to the United States.
The latest communique made
no specific mention of the Taegu
situation but earlier a spokesman
for Gen. Macarthur said the
threat to the city had eased. How
ever, United States officers point
ed out that about $4,000 Red
troops still threatened the U. N.
lines in this embattled area.
The communications cutoff
with front reports left an uncer-
tain picture of the entire front.
however. since Tokyo headquar-
ters releases generally are behind
field developments.
Before the lid was slammed
down. an official announcement
told Of a surprise Allied landing
on west coast island deep in
Red territory.
Enemy Falls Back.
Also at some points on the
front north of Taegu the enemy
had fallen back, permitting Allied
patrols to range four to six miles
into Communist territory without
serious opposition.
The Reds fell back before U. N.
assaults on the road north from
Taegu and in the Changnyong
sector to the southwest. Both
were danger spots earlier in the
week.
The surprise landing was the
first Allied action of it's kind in
the war. 1t was made by South
Korean troops Friday on Tok-
chok Island after brief shelling
by British cruisers and destroyers.
The island is 35 miles southwest OF
Inchon. port of Seoul, on the yell
low Sea.
Full significance of the landing
was not explained by the spokes-
man at Gen. MacArthur's head
quarters who announced it.
Guerrilla Activity Cited.
A Navy spokesman said Tokchok
may have been a Red center for
waterborne communications.
The Macarthur spokesman also
disclosed that South Korean guer-
rillaS- or possibly regular army
units - may be operating behind
Communist lines.
Il think the enemy's back areas
are not too quiet" he remarked.
He said he lacked details on both
this and the island landing.
Gen. MacArthur's communique
said the amphibious force took
Chenni village on Tokchok without
incident. There was no hint of
the size of the landing force.
Tokchok could have great value
TO the Allies as a Marine OBJ
'ervation port. Possibly, it might
De used as forward airbase.
Land Travel Hazardous.
AS American air strikes have
made land travel more hazardous
md dangerous for the North Ko-
can Reds. they have turned in