Evening star., 1953-10-25

in Lees throat. He couldn't get
enough tea to wash 1t down, it
seemed.
Just as the prisoners were finishing
their meal, word came that the Com
munists had finally brought Chinese
explainers to the interview tents. The
news spread quickly. Lee and his
fellow prisoners quickly assembled
and made the short trip under In
dian guard to the holding area, as
it was called.
That journey to the holding area
took only few minutes Saturday.
But it had taken whole morning on
Thursday. Then the Chinese had not
known where they were going. FL
nally the prisoners had been reaS-
sured and they went, keyed to high
pitch and determined to win the ap-
preaching mental battle with their
vile Red brothers whom they con-
sidered traitors.
To the Holding Areo'
Lee and his tentmakerS were taken
to Holding Area B." cluster of
10 tents, each of which housed Is
men.
Prisoners started for the interview
areas almost Immediately. Moving
out, two tents of Is men at time.
from Holding Area B, the prisoners
got rousing sendoff from their fel-
lows who remained behind.
Lees was the fourth tent-group to
set out. Indian guards with 15-foot
barbed wire fences and accordion
rolls of barbed wire at their backs,
encouraged the men along a Is
foot wide path. Two intermediate
squad tents, over another rise, acted
as an intermediate Stopoff, from
which the Indian guards controlled
the prisoner flow to the explaining
tents.
From this way-station, Lees turn
finally came, and there in the bright
midday sun the explaining site
stretched before him. A 4OO-yard
walk along another 15-foot path
lined with Indian guards lay be-
tween Lee and the row of Is squad
tents, just like the one he lived in
except these had a better shape to
them. American engineers had built
frames and floors for the explana-
tionS tents, one luxury the prisoners
were not permitted-and actually
did not crave-in their own COM
pounds.
Time to Think
The Indian starters" at the in
termediate station kept the indi-
vidual prisoners well spaced-about
80 yards apart-as they walked to-
ward the explanation tents. The
walk was purposely made long to
give each man as much time alone
as he wanted. He could run or
crawl along that 400-yard trail, the
general said. It was intended to
give him an opportunity to think
by himself.
Lee set out on the long walk at a
good pace, shouting, II want to go
back to TaiWan," at the top of his
voice. AS he came closer to the ex-
planning tents he heard his comrades
in the explaining tents, shouting
the pro-Formosa, anti-Communist
epithets he and his friends had re-
hearsed so long and hard since Au-
gust, when they first learned they
would be confronted with this
"brainwashing" session.
Lee was moved almost to the point
of tears. He stopped dead and
Shrieked encouragement to those
fellow Chinese who were shouting
down the Red traitors. His voice
cracked as he cried, "On to TaiWan."
Then two Indian guards seized him
and moved him forward. He fought
to stand still, why, he didn't know,
The strong Indian guards, their
sweating, brown faces smiling and
compassionate, sharply commanding
but never menacing, forced Lee,
writhing. to the gate of the ex-
planation area.
'Pooh-Poh'
AT the gate handsome Sikh Off
Ger. bearded and turbaned, spoke
TO Lee in Chinese, in a firm, calm
voice. "Pooh-pah," he said. Don't
b. afraid" Lee settled down slowly,
the two Indian guards released him,
and he stood quivering before the
Sikh you know we Will not let
any enc harm you," the captain was
saying. Now go along and make
your choice, whichever way you
wish. Go on" The Sikh capped
Lee reassuringly on the back as he
stumbled through the gate. HeSi-
tating moment to get his bearings
as he stood now so close to the
tents, Lees ears rang with the OBJ
scenities of his fellows as they
cursed their Chinese "perSuaders"
inside the row of tents. Then some
body in the tent ahead of him
shouted "On to Taiwan!'
That snapped Lee out of it. "On
t. Taiwan!' ne shouted hySterically
in answer and thrust his fist into
the sky. Two more Indian guards
seized him by the arms wrenched
him down the row of tents, looking
for free one.
The fifth tent was unengaged,
so the guards pushed Lee inside,
into the waiting arms of two more