Evening star., 1953-07-27
Signing Of Armistice
Brings Tense Truce
To Battered Korea
Continued From First Page.)

through. Nam II arose from the
table and walked out the north
door. Harrison went out the
South door.
Commanding officers of troops
from 16 United Nations mem
bers in the war witnessed the
ceremony. No official repre-
sentative was present from South
Korea. but South Korean Mai.
Gen. Choi Duk Shin attended as
an observer
Gen. Clark signed nine copies
Of the truce document at Allied
advance headquarters in Mum
san three hours later. About 400
guests and 10 newSmen watched
him sign in an army theater
building.
The nine other copies were sent
to North Korea for signing by
the Communist commanders,
North Korean Marshal Kim II
Sung and Chinese Gen. Peng
Teh-huai.
Tuesday morning the Reds will
be handed the copies signed by
Gen. Clark and the U. N. COM
mand will receive the copies
signed by Kim and Peng.
Gen. Clark will sign the nine
Communist = signed copies in
Seoul Tuesday. There will be no
ceremony.
After the signing is over each
side will have three copies of the
document in English, three in
Chinese and three in Korean.
Delegates Ready to Leave.
Their work done, allied truce
delegates prepared to leave the
MunSan base camp for other as
SignmentS.
Attention swung Immediately
to the Joint Military Armistice
Commission, which will super
wise the truce and arbitrate any
armistice violations.
A spokesman for the commits
sion said the allied members
would meet with the Communist
members for the first time at
Panmunjom Tuesday.
The first big task ahead in
the armlstice is the exchange of
prisoners. These include 1913
Americans and about 5000 South
Koreans and 1000 from other
allied nations held by the Reds. |
and $4,000 North Koreans and
Red Chinese held by the U. N.
command.
The secret record of the nego-
tiationS, released after the sign
ing, showed that the Reds hold
1875 prisoners of war.
The exchange of prisoners who
want to return home is expected
TO begin in a week or less.
The U.N. said about 1900
North Koreans and 14.5OO
Chinese captives have said they
do not want to return home and
will be turned over to a repatria-
ton commission composed of
Switzerland, Sweden, Poland,
Czechoslovakia and India.
Guarded by Indians.
India's troops will guard them,
probably in the buffer zone.
while Communist agents confer
with them.
The Communists said they
would return 300 prisoners a
day, including sick and wounded
The IN. command told the
Reds it will turn back prisoners
at the rate of 2,4OO able-bodied
men daily, plus $50 sick and
wounded.
No words were spoken by the
signerS during the cold and busi-
neSS-like session.
Gen. Harrison and Gen. Nam
Il looked at each other only once,
and that was after each had
completed signing all 18 copies
of the document.
Then Gen. Nam II, sporting a
chestful of medals, rose abrupt
ly from his signing table and
marched out of the building.
Gen. Harrison got up a minute
later and walked out, stopping
to shake hands with top U. N.
military commanders who had
been invited to watch the pro-
ceedingS.
All Goes Smoothly.
There was no incident, no
hitch in the proceedings.
Gen Harrison and Gen Nam
II entered the Communist-built
armistice hall from opposite ends
at precisely the same moment
just at 10 o'clock.
Gen. Harrison took his seat
before green cloth-covered
table on which were the blue
Allied copies of the armiStice
document and the blue and white
U. N. flag.
Gen. Nam II sat down at an
other table on which had been
placed red-starred North Ko-
rean flag and maroon Communist
copies of the armistice document.
The flags, each standing about
two feet high on small standards,
were the ones used during the
more than two years of the nego-
tiations.
Between the two tables was a
third table that was used by the
aides Of the two generals for ex-
changing the copies.
The first copies were signed at
one minute after 10 and both
Gen. Nam II and Gen. Harrison
went through with the signing
of the remaining copies in a crisp
manner, looking up occasionally
only to speak few words to
aides fianking them.
WaShingtOnian Was Aide.
One aide was Marine Col.
James c. Murray of Washing
ton, D. c.. the senior EaiSon Of
ficer for the allies, who during
the last week of negotiations met
in almost continuous session with
the Reds