Evening star., 1952-05-10

day as he conferred with them
at the gate of compound 76.
An 9th Army statement said the
generals release came after a
meeting of Communist ringleaders
of the compound. It was attended
by prisoner leaders from other
compounds on the island.
Will Be Flown to Seoul.
The conclave of Communist
POW leaders came after Gen.
James A. Van Fleet. United States
9th Army commander, made it
clear he was preparing to use
force if the general were not re-
leased unharmed.
The terms worked out at the
conference of Reds were not i'm
mediately disclosed.
An Army spokesman said Gen.
Dodd would be flown to Seoul to-
morrow and would hold news
conference. The spokesman said
also that correspondents would be
allowed to visit Koje tomorrow.
The island is 30 miles off the
southeastern tip of Korea.
Gen. Dodd will spend the night
with Brig. Gen. Charles Colson,
who was appointed commander
of the Koje camps the day after
Gen. Dodd was seized.
Dragged Inside Gate.
Gen. Dodd was dragged inside
Compound rs, where 5000 North
Korean die-hard Communists are
held, as he and another officer,
1t. Col. Robert Raven, Newton,
Tex, were standing by the wide,
main gate of the compound, talk
ing with leaders of the prisoners.
The pair evidently had been
lured there by Communist leaders
for a conference.
Suddenly the Red POWs grabbed
Gen. Dodd and hustled him in
side the compound. Col. Raven
managed to fight his way clear Of
the Reds and escape.
For three days, the Reds held
Gen. Dodd prisoner. meanwhile
negotiating with him for settle
ment of the prisoners grievances.
American meals were passed in
to the 52-year-old general and he
was allowed free use of the tele-
phone inside the compound. Over
this telephone he asked camp
authorities to refrain from using
force to get him out until the
Red leaders had completed list
Of their demands.
"Minor Requests" Granted.
This morning the Army said
they had granted some of the Red
demands-"minor requests" which
included use of telephone, writ
ing paper and the admittance of
prisoner leaders from other COM
pounds on the island. Approx
mately 10000 Reds are held on
the island-moSt of them are
among the 10000 prisoners who
have said they will return to Com
muniSm.
Koje has been the scene of two
bloody earlier prisoner riots.
Crammed behind the barbed wire
are many Red ,die- -hardS who
demonstrate, shout and sing Com
munist songs.
On February 18, a batch of
Reds rioted and IS prisoners were
killed and 135 wounded as Ameri-
can troops opened fire to stop it.
One American soldier was killed
and 80 wounded. Gen. Dodd was
named camp commander two days
later. Another riot erupted on
March 13 and IL prisoners were
killed and 26 wounded.
While the Reds held Gen. Dodd
captive. Gen. Matthew B. Ridg-
way, on the eve Of his departure
for Europe. issued a stinging blast
az VAC hAAA4oH44ASs 11C OIOCICu NCI1.
Van Fleet to use whatever force
is necessary" to get Gen. Dodd
out.
Used As Propaganda.
The Red propaganda mills
seized Immediately on the Incl
dent and Ridgway order.
North Korean Gen. Nam II, at
the Panmunjom truce talks,
charged the U. N. was preparing
another massacre" on the island.
Gen. Ridgway said at a news
conference in Tokyo the Dodd kid
naping may very well affect the
Korean truce talks"
Gen. Ridgway's successor, Gen.
Mark w. Clark, also attended the
conference.
Gen. Clark told newsmen "it
probably would be better to move
Gen. Dodd to a new assignment
If we get him out alive"