Evening star., 1952-01-26

Communist NeWsmen
Help Get Camera 10
A. P. Photographer
By the Associated Press

TOKYO, Jan. 26.-Frank Pap
py" Noel is taking pictures for the
worlds newspapers again.
The 52-year-old Associated.
Press photographer, who disap-I
peared behind the bamboo cur
tain after his capture by the
Chinese Reds on November %.
1850, today sent out a few photos
taken inside a Communist prison.
"Pappy" took the pictures with
a regular news camera, sent to
him-bag, f1ashgun and abby
another A. P. photographer. Bob
Schultz of New Jersey.
Mr.. Schultz gave his own cam
era to Chinese news correspond
ent on January 2. 1852. That be-
gan a fanciful chain Of camera
passing which finally got the
equipment all the way to Pyok-
dong, Communist prison camp
No. 2. Pyokdong is south of the
Yalu River on the cold Man
churian border.
Several Reds Cooperate.
Several Communist correspond
ents co-operated in the scheme,
dubbed Operation Father Christ
mas" because of "Pappy's" name
and the time it was cooked UP.
One courier was wounded by a
strafing plane, according to Will
fred Burchett. correspondent for
the Paris newspaper Ce Soir.
When the first batch of pic
lures was taken, delay in develop
ing them was occasioned by a
power failure that an American
bomber caused by hitting an elec-
trio plant, the Reds said.
The Reds developed the pic
lures and made prints for their
own censorship. The photos that
survived were censored in Tokyo
again by American cenSors. All
passed.
The American soldiers snapped
by "Pappy" appeared to be well
clothed in padded Chinese uni
forms.
Appear Well Fed.
They were mostly smiling and
looked well fed.
Mr.. Burchett said this was "rice
fat" from their diet of Chinese
food. =
All the Americans in the pic
lures were listed by the Com
munists on the records they
handed over at Panmunjom last
month.
Mr.. Noel. legendary character
among news photographers, ap-
peared to be heading down a one
way street to even. greater fame.
He won the Pulitzer Prize 10 years
ago for a picture of a sailor in
a lifeboat begging for water.
From inside the Red prison
camp with a brand new camera
Mr.. Noel wrote to Associated Press
Correspondent Robert Tuckman
OF Albany, N. Y:
"If can get enough film and
bulbs and fresh batteries, I'll keep
the packs coming in your direc-
ton"
Mr.. Tuckman covers the Pan
munjom armistice talks.
ToL
Max Desfor, A. P. photo editor
in Tokyo and last years Pulitzerl
Prize winner, said well keep
Pappy in film and flash bulbs if wei
have to get them in by parachute. II
Mr.. Noel was with the United
States 1st Marine Division when
the Chinese Reds intervened inI
the Korean war. He withdrew
with them in Northeast Korea toI
the Hungnam beachhead.
Then he went back with a con-
voy trying to reach an isolated
regiment. The convoy was am
bushed. Mr.. Noel was among those
taken prisoner.
Friends of Mr.. Noel remem-
bered what Associated Press Cor
respondent Stan Swinton wrote
about him when he was captured
IA months ago. They had teamed
together in the 10th Corps area
around the Changjin reservoir.
Don't write off Pappy Noel,"|
Mr.. Swinton wrote. "He has seen
a lot of war and any number of
tight spots. I am betting Frank
will come back-probably with ex-
elusive pictures"
Mr.. Noel isn't back yet, but he
has already furnished the eXclu-
sive pictures.