Evening star., 1951-11-19
Tension Over Truce
Blamed as Report on
Atrocities Backfires
By jay 6. Hoydsn
North American Nsvspoper Ailiones

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The reason for the rush by top
American officials to disclaim re-
sponsibility for the estimate by
Col. James M. Hanley Of the
Judge Advocate Generals section
of the 9th Army-that $500 United
States prisoners in Korea had
been wantonly slaughtered--was
that this statement came at a
time when discomfort concerning
the Korean truce negotiation was
approaching a triple blow-off.
A complaint that the exclusively
American negotiating team was
being too captiouS, first voiced in
the recent British election cam
paign by left-Wing Laborites, has
been taken up by even some of
Winston Churchill's conservatives.
And in conferences of repre-
sentatives of the nations fighting
in Korea, in Washington and be-
hind the scenes at the United Ma
tionS meeting in Paris, there were
signs that only a quick break in
the Panmunjom deadlock could
avert an open squabble among the
Allies.
Tungsten Discovery Mentioned.
The current issue of the pro-
labor New Statesman and Nation,
of London. suggests that the long
fight by United States negotiators
to put Akesong on our side of the
truce line was prompted by dis
covery of valuable deposits Of
tungsten" between that village
and Seoul.
The conservative London Spec
tator simultaneously said:
The last thing with which toI
oppose the Communist combina-
ton of rigidity and skill in nego-
tiations is a combination of rigid
ity and clumsiness; and it looks
very much as if the tactics OF
Gen. Ridgway's representatives
have been pedestrian, if not &C
tually f1at-footed."
The pro American London
Economist last week warned
against a dangerous tendency"
of Western European public opin-
ion Ito want to end the Korean
war at almost any price !
whatever its ultimate conse-
Quences."
Such was the atmosphere IN
which Col. Hanley released his
charge Of wholesale atrocities by
the North Korean and Chinese
Communists.
Pentagon Caught by Surprise.
Caught completely by surprise
and with its mind focused on the
troubled truce negotiation, the
Pentagon's first curt announce
ment was that it had radioed Gen.
Ridgway in Tokyo for "clarifca-
tion." After a day of delay, Gen.
Ridgway confirmed the basic
Facts Of Communist "brutality"I
Jas related by Col. Hanley, but
added with regret" that the
statement had not been CO.
ordinated" with either the Tokyo
high command or Washington.
Actually. Col. Hanley may have
helped to break the truce dead
lock. Close on the heels of his
statement, United States nego-
tiators came UP with their COM
promise offer to freeze the battle
line for 80 days. pending an at
tempt to settle other armistice
points.
And Enthusiastically, reacting
differently than might have been
expected, the Communists at Pan
munjon so far have not mentioned
the atrocity charge.
Assuming the United States
truce line proposal is accepted,
however, the alleged murder of
United Nations prisoners scarcely
can fail to figure in the negotia-
ton. The next items on the
agenda are exchange of prisoners
and the form of inspection by
which the cease-f1re is to be safe
guarded.
With the need for saving Ameri-
cans who are alive behind the
enemy lines from the rigors of
another Korean winter urgently
in mind. Pentagon officials feel
that the Hanley atrocity state
ment might better have been de-
layed until the truce negotiation
either succeeds or is irrevocably
broken off.