Evening star., 1952-05-12
Threat to Use Tanks Credited
With Part in Freeinu Dodd

took me across to Koje in q 20
foot boat.
From miles out you could see
Koje's prison camps. The island
is large, but the prison camps are
concentrated in one section.
We landed at a village. Carry
ing a typewriter and a small travel
bag. I came ashore and onto q
road.
Lights Blazing Over Camp.
A mile or so on either side of
the village, strings Of lights blazed
over the prison enclosures and
the guards quarters and camp.
Blue-gray light poured down into
the enclosures from searchlights
on the mountainside.
Jeeps with armed military police
ran up and down the coast road.
There were armed foot patrols at
intervals. It would have been i'm
possible to walk along undetected.
The guards were primed to shoot.
I walked into a native police
station and told them to call the
American military police. Mem
bers of an MP company duly ar
rived and took me along. The
MPs were courteous but kept sharp
watch. The Army has clamped q
tight security lock on Koje. The
MPs gave me a bed. An MP sat
on a chair alongside and watched.
An MP sergeant took me to break
fast. Then I reported to 1t. Col.
AlanSon T. Leland. provost
While waiting in his
office I watched the Pattons
churn by. I counted 20. and more
came by.
First 1t. William D. Hall, public |
Information officer, told me that
the commander was irritated with
me. I told him I was not aware
Of specific orders barring news
men from Koje.
1t. Hall said that the Army was
hard at work trying to get Gen.
Dodd out unharmed and that this,
not press conferences on the spot.
was the matter of first importance.
but I pointed out the tremendous
human interest impact of the
story.
Was Ordered From Island,
I requested an interview with
new commanding officer at Koje, /
Brig. Gen. Charles F. Colson of
Charleston. S. C.
1t. Hall asked for my cor
respondents accreditation card
and I gave it to him. He then
took my request for an interview
to the general. Colson turned 1t /
down.
I was then ordered from the
island.
I asked 1t. Hall to return my
card. He said he was sorry, but
ne could not, under instructions
from Maj. Glenn E. FAINT, public /
information officer. second logis-
tical command, Pusan.
I protested. 1t. Hall said the
card would be returned to me at
Pusan. It was returned to me, as
ne said. He accompanied me in
jeep to dockside area. It was
heavily, and many soldiers
wore Navy foul weather gear. At
frequent points armed guards
1alted oncoming traffic.
A crash boat took me to an LIST /
landing ship-tanks) and thence
% Pusan. where the Army lee F.,
;ured me gently.
Tight Security Demonstrated.
: Even . short stay on Koje
'howed hoW tight security is
here. One could not have walked
90 feet without soldiers or mill
ary police picking you up for
questioning. The South Korean
'olice, working with Americans,
eemed efficient, too. The island
s wide-awake day or night. {
Koje Island compounds are
heavily barbed-wired, with two
high fences surrounding each l
dot. At night the lights blaze .
lown. In the corners of the COM ,
'ound are three-story-high guard Il
louses where machine guns are
On Koje are $4,000 refugees
rom North Korea. In fact, one
ettlement is named Hungnam,
he port from which the United
states Navy evacuated many
Koreans during the United Ma
ions retreat from North Korea.
Tough, die-hard Communists
ire held on Koje. During opera
ion shuffle," non-Communist
prisoners of war who said they
lidn't want to go back home were
moved from Koje. h
Eighty thousand hard core
Communists remain. It was such
group who planned the bold act
nd Snatched Gen. Dodd. L.