Evening star., 1953-10-27
Outlook at Ponmuniom

AS should surprise nobody, the Communists
are living down to their usual standards both
as regards the priSoners-of-war situation and
the meeting that has just opened at Panmun-
JON in an effort to arrange for Korean po-
litical conference.
At the very first session Of the meeting
at which Arthur Dean is representing the
United States and its allies in the United Ma
tionS Command-the North Korean and Chinese
Reds have once again demanded that the pro-
jected full-dress conference be broadened to
include not only the belligerents from both sides
but also neutral powers. Needless to say, if
they adhere to that demand, the Panmunjom
talks will break up in futility.
This is so because Mr.. Dean has been sent
over there with power to agree only on time
and a place for the political conference. AS
for the conferences composition, he can do no
more than exchange views"-without deviat-
ing from the U. N. General Assembly's August
decision against inviting "neutrals" to partici-
pate in the Korean peace talks. The Commu-
niStS, of course are well aware of this, but they
have nonetheless reiterated their demand What
remains to be seen now is whether they will
persist in it to the point Of creating a complete
deadlock at Panmunjom. If that is what they
do, then the world will have good evidence that
they are intent upon delaying indefinitely, If
not forever, the settlement promoting negotia-
tions called for in the truce agreement.
Unfortunately there is nothing in the cur
rent picture to suggest that Peiping and Pyong-
yang-and behind them their mentors in the
Kremlin-are in mood to be reasonable, agree
able or cooperative on the subject of Korea.
The POW situation speaks for itself on that
score. The Communists, acting through the
Polish and Czech members OF the 1ve-poWer
Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission, have
paralyzed the commissions work because the
majority (Sweden, Switzerland and India) has
turned down their proposal that tear gas and
guns be used to force resisting North Korean
prisoners to listen to explanations" designed
to get them to return to their Red homeland
proposal that would require brutal violation
of truce terms forbidding such action "in any
manner for any purpose whatsoever"
In view of it's total unacceptability, this is
something that has the earmarks of deliberate
effort to put an end to the repatriation pro-
ceedings. The Communists, at any rate, have
been greatly embarrassed by those proceedings.
Up to now their "explainers"-in talks with
almost 1000 Chinese POWs-have succeeded in
getting only 20 to return home, and they are
faced with the fact that the North Korean cap
tiveS militantly refuse even to attend "persua-
sion" sessions. The whole business, in short,
adds up to major propaganda defeat Tor the
Reds and they therefore have reason to try
getting out from under it. That may we'll be
the primary purpose of their impossible demand
for force-to wreck the NNRC and thus create
confusion calculated to distract attention from
their own discontinue.
Whatever their purpose, however, the Com
muniStS clearly have suffered a serious setback
in this matter, and the setback includes the
exceedingly bad impression they have made on
IndaS resentatives-Lieutenant General
Thimayya, chairman of the NNRC, and Major
General Thorat, chief of the POW cuStodial
forces. These men have done an excellent job
in trying to carry out their difficult responsible
ties, but they have been frustrated by Red pol
icy-a fact that may tend to make the Nehru
government look with less tolerant eye at the
Pyongyang- -Peiping- Moscow axis.
In such situation, having lost considerable
face in dealing with the POWs, the Communists
probably feel more disagreeabe than usual,
and they are not likely to make things easy for
Mr.. Dean at Panmunjom. But if they really
want political conference, they will be diff
cult with him only up to point. The next few
days should be revealing in that sense.