Evening star., 1950-06-18


We traded some face-saving fol
some embarrassed Chinese Ret
officials in return for our freedom
When we were captured on Oc'
tober 10. 1948, some 20 miles NORTH
OF our base at TSingtao, we tolc
our Chinese captors the truth
about ourselves and our presenct
in their territory. We were on 9
two-hour hop so Pete CBender]
could log some time to qualify fol
flight pay and had no destination
or mission. Smitty just came
along for the ride.
That was the straight dope, bui
the Chinese Commies wouldn't
believe 1t.
Interrogated Further.
We made a full statement tc
Maj. Wang and 1t. Ho, our jailors
who were also among the ranking
Communist authorities on Shan
tung Peninsula. They apparently
bucked it UP to higher echelons
because we got called In for addi-
tional Interrogation by Col. Ii, the
commandant Of the Shantung
area, about six weeks after we
were captured.
They questioned us separately
This Col: Ii character was as sus-
piciouS as q mother-in-law. He
really 1lne-toothed our stories for
discrepancies in details. Smitty
told him Pete had invited him to
go on the hop while we were both
having o beer the night before in
the MOO Club at Tsingtao. Pete
said he didn't remember exactly
where the date for the flight was
made. They called Pete back and
pressed this point, and Pete finally
said that as near as he could re-
member the date was made in the
barracks.
That little discrepancy was
enough to convince Col. Ii that
we were lying. When they
searched the plane they also found
some detail maps Of Shantung
peninsula. Pete was only using a
little sector map of the Tsingtao
area. He hadn't checked the other
maps in the plane. Neither one
of us knew the Shantung detail
maps were in the ship. That
sounded pretty thin to Col. Ii
but it was the truth. 1t only
made him more convinced that
We were covering up our real mis-
sion.
Well, Col. Ii turned in q report
1--WE found out much later that
said it was his opinion that we
were high United States officials
on an important secret mission
from Chefoo to Tsingtao. He had
O fixed idea that Pete was at least
q colonel and that Smitty was
big-shot civilian.
He recommended that we be
held until we told the details oi
our mission"
Wouldn't Believe Story.
Col. Ii just wouldn't believe that
we were enlisted men. He said
enlisted men wouldn't be allowed
to fly O. plane. Besides. we had
leather shoes, and that meant big
shot to the Chinese. Only the
wealthiest can afford leather
shoes.
In short, Col. Ii wouldn't buy
our story. We called him Col
boo Della" That means moi
right" in Chinese. and when we'd
answer his questions he'd always
say boo della"
That report Of Col. LIS really
got US snarled in Red red tape
The Commies have already de-
veloped some inf1exible bureau
Gratis, who could teach our Wash
ington variety some tricks. (Foi
instance, they've got q rule in thu
Red Army that all wood left ovei
when they break camp must bt
burned up instead Of being giver
to the peasants. This doesn'
make sense in o country where
fuel is scarce and precious. How
ever, the Red bureaucrats whit
dreamed 1t up explained that Il
was better that way, because peas
ants who didn't get any woot
might be resentful, so 1t was better
to burn 1t up instead. Soune
familiar, doesn't itO
We spent the first winter in
village near Liang Oai Yang) a!
we already told you. Twice they
let us write letters home. Once
they showed us q receipt which
showed that it had been delivered
to O. Nationalist outpost for de-
livery to United States Navy au.
thorities at Tsingtao. 1t never got
through. The Nationalists refused
to take the second letter.
Periodically, Ii would call us uE
again to ask If we wanted tt
change our story. Through the
summer of 1949. we stuck to thu
truth. Once Col. Ii threatened
us with trial before O civilian peo.
pies court, which he said was very
tough, unless we told him a diff
ferent story.
Felt Like Abandoned Babies.
We called his bluff and salt
we'd like to go before the people
court right away. That stoppet
him. Several times later we asket
to go before the peoples court
but he brushed of the idea. Toll
us it would be degrading and W
wouldn't get special treatment
we insisted on going before q civi
court instead of the military.
Things dragged on like this I'm
til the fall of 80. The Navy ha
pulled out of Tsingtao completed
In May. 1s49. When we hear
that, we were just about as lo'
as you could get. We felt lik
abandoned babies on o strang
doorstep.
It didn't help any when "
en- ~a3I@x