Evening star., 1953-10-25


was no big "PW" printed across his
back, or on his trousers, as there
once had been.
The Preparation
Dressing hurriedly with the rest,
he hustled out of the tent for roll
call. The prisoners assembled in
ranks, according to tents, and tent
commanders called the roll. Then,
to the accompaniment of the pris-
oner band, playing on trumpets and
drums and a few other instruments
improvised from the ubiquitous beer
cans and other odds and ends pickeo
up around the camp, the compound
joined other nearby compounds in
singing the national anthem of the
Chinese NationaliStS. The voices OF
the strong, male chorus floated
gently over the fog, scaled the sur
rounding hill and, thought Lee,
headed for Formosa, the land of his
dreams.
With the anthem ended, a hush
fell over the assemblage, as the Chi
nese Nationalist flag was raised.
There followed session of patriotic
yells, not unlike those at Stateside
college football pep rally. Then the
Custodian Forces, India, came upon
the scene to take their own roll call.
BY am, with breakfast over,
the compound parade ground, +"
eagerly expecting the trucks which
would take them to the explaining
sites, To chase away the doubts
that assailed him, Lee again went
througr the things he intended to
say " the Chinese Communist ex-
palmer. Hate boiled in him at the
very thought of the traitprous Red
Chinese explainer, whom he dis
trusted so thoroughly.
He still viewed the approaching
interview with doubts and deep fear
that somehow he would be tricked
into going back to Red China. But
the paralyzing terror of the inter-
views had now passed. For, by the
prisoners grapevine, he had learned
how well Thursdays first session
had gone for his Chinese brothers
in the compound on the other side
Of the camp. What had impressed
him more than anything else was
the answering neutrality of the
Indian chairmen of the Neutral
Nations Repatriation CommiSsion'S S
teams which supervised the brain
washing" Lee and his fellows had
been warned repeatedly that the
Indians were pro-Communist. Part
of the distrust of the Indians already
had been diSpelled by associations
with the Indian troops who guarded
them in the demilitarized zone. But
Lee looked on these troops as he
looked on the ordinary Chinese
soldier. A dogface doing a job.
However, the Indians showed
restraint in handling the Chinese
and Lee and all his friends noted
and appreciated this fact. AS for
the Indian chairmen of the NNRC
teams, Lee and his fellows were
extremely suspicious until news of
the first days explaining sessions
arrived.
Cheering News
1t was found that the prisoners
actually were allowed a free choice.
Word spread rapidly through the
camp. Compound leaders exchanged
views and came up with their con-
clusion. With a loss of only 10 of
their number out of the first 500
interviewed, the green light was
flashed. Chinese prisoners should
no longer be afraid. Go through
the explanations as rehearSed, the
word went out.
Long rehearSalS in the South
Korea prisoner camps and later in
the demilitarized zone had prepared
the men for every trick their prison
leaders could envision. Prisoners
took the part of the NNRC team
in series of dry runs. Not only
the Chinese explainers and Czech
and Pole" impersonators were nasty
to the prisoner on the grill in those
rehearsals; the man who played the
Indian dreamed up all kinds of pro-
Communist tricks to play. Each
prisoner was taught how to shout,
to concentrate on going to Taiwan
Formosa), no matter what the
explainers said, to keep from listen
ing to the Chinese Communist
"brainwaSherS."
Lee thought of these things as he
waited at the compound gates.
Then came the sickening news. The
interviews had been delayed. The
Communists wanted to interview
North Koreans instead of Chinese
To keep from losing their minds
and to keep their spirits up-the
prisoners broke into song. They
sang of going to Taiwan, where
Chang Kai-shek had personally re-
assured them he was waiting to
receive them. They sang songs they
composed themselves in the COM
pounds. to express their moods and
buoy their spirits in the long prison
ordeal.
Lunch was long time coming,
even though 1t was moved UP an
hour to IL o'clock. The food stuck