Evening star., 1951-12-27
Truce Dead|ine
Passes; No Plan
For Extending II
Reds Give indication
Many Allied POWs
Died Of Exposure
By the Associated Press

MUNSAN, Korea, Friday, Dec
28,-The 30-day Korean cease
fire line agreement ran out to-
day on "a rather ominous note
in truce talks about Allied pris-
Ioner of war deaths.
There was no indication here
Iof plans to extend the agreement
responsible for the 30-day twi-
light war. The full five-man
Iarmistice committees which signed
the original agreement November
~ did not even meet. An official
u. N. spokesman said neither side
asked for an extension.
But in a subcommittee session
at Panmunjom Thursday, Rear
Admiral R. E. Libby said the Com
munists limited: They may report
many of the $4,000 unaccounted
for Allied prisoners of war died
of exposure and disease.
Admiral Libby said it was "A
rather ominous note. 1t might
have been a forewarning that all
these people died of Illness"
Still Deadlocked.
Subcommittees working on the
problems of exchanging war pris-
oners and supervising a truce still
were dealocked when they ad-
journed their last session before
the expiration hour. The agree
ment ran out at midnight 90
am. EST Thursday.
Each committee scheduled an
other meeting for IL am. Friday
20 pm. EST Thursday in Pan
munjom.
Washington sources expressed
belief Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway
had been authorized to approve a
l5-day extension of the period
in which the 145-mile line drawn
across Korea November 81 could
become a permanent cease fire
line.
In yesterdays fruitless talks ir
snow-swept Panmunjom each side
accused the other of needlessly
delaying the truce.
North Korean Maj. Gen. Lee
Sang Cho charged that the U. N
wasted time by refusing to agree to
"a Communist proposal for an all
for-all exchange of prisoners.
Deceptive List Charged.
Rear Admiral r. E. Libby told
the Reds they wasted IL days by
refusing to set up a prisoner ex-
change subcommittee then de-
layed for another eight days be-
fore agreeing to exchange prisoner
lists.
The list finally submitted by the
Reds was fatally deceptive" Ad-
miral Libby asserted.
In another meeting in a nearby
tent, the Communists verbally
promised not to build up their
armed strength during an armi-
stice. But they refused to put it
in writing.
Six times in 80 minutes Mai
Gen. Howard M. Turner tried to
get the pledge on paper. But
each time Chinese Mai. Gen
Hsieh Fang evaded a direct an
swer or said no reply was neces-
sary since the Communist stand
on supervision of a truce was well
known.
Admiral Libby asked the Reds
for more information on the 726
American prisoner the Reds said
yesterday had died, escaped or
been released.
He asked Gen. Lee to state
specifically how each of the 571
men died, where they died and
where they were buried. A writ
ten Red report said the prisoners
died of illness or were killed in
air attacks or by artillery while
being marched from the front.
Asked About Escapes.
Admiral Libby also asked when
and where 152 Americans escaped
and when and where three others
were released.
The Reds said Yeither Alliad
war prisoners nor internees were
being held in China.
Admiral Libby said the denial
was difficult to believe" in the
light of information held by the
Allies. His line of questioning was
a continuation of u. N. efforts to
learn the fate of more than $4,000
missing Allies, most>of them South
Koreans.
The Reds have some complaints
of their own about the Allied pris-
oner list.
The U. N. command explained
it did not include the names of
l ,456 prisoners on its list because
the men would not identify them
selves.
The U. N. said approximately
10000 names forwarded to the
Red Cross were not on the pris-
oner list because they had been
reclassif1ed as South Korean civil