Evening star., 1953-06-21
Korea

HAD IT NOT been for an end
IL around play by Syngman
Rhee, 1t is entirely possible that
the long-sought Korean armistice
would be q reality today.
But In the hours Of darkness
one morning last week, Dr.. Rhee
Stngle-handedly solved about S.
per cent Of the problem that had
held up truce settlement 50 long:
The matter Of prisoners who do
not want to go home. Before sun
up Thursday, $4,000 Of the 46,380
= unwilling POWs held in United
Nations camps were loose in South
Korea by DR.. Rhee's order.
Since North Koreans look just
like South Koreans, and since DR..
Rhee's people were whole-heart-
edly in on the trick, most Of the
prisoners were likely to remain at
large.
Chronology
s The sudden liberation was the
top event of the Korean week.,
But developments before and since
reveal much about the current
status OF this strange conflict.
Ere Is aeapsIle chronology d the
week:
, MondGy-United States troops
in Korea we're warned by the.
9Th Army,s commander, Gen.
Maxwell D. Taylor, that an armi-s
stice would not mean early
return to the States. Heavy Chi
nese attacks against the U.N.
lines continued. Secretary of
State Dulles said renewed fight
ing might hinder a truce. South
Korean opposition to the truce
seemed to have tempered, al
though President Rhee still
plugged for a mutual defense pact
before an arnistice.
Tuesday Heavy fighting con-
tinued. &
WedneSday-While the battles
ragged, United Nations and Com
munist staff officers were reported
to have agreed on q cease-11re
line. In Washington, President
Eisenhower and Secretary Dulles
treasured Korean Premier Paik
Too Chin that q mutual assistance
pact would be arranged after the
armistice. ~
Thursday - Fighting died all
along the front as Red loud
speakers predicted a truce would
be signed June Is, the third an
niversary of the war. Some &c.
900 North Korean anti-Commu-
nists escaped from United Nations
prisoner-of-war camps after Pres
ident Rhee ordered South Korean
guards to let them out. Such
Americans as were around the
camps resisted the release with
scant success. Roundups netted
slightly over 1000 escaped North
Koreans. \
Frtday-Rhee's reply to letter
from President Eisenhower, dated
June 8, reaf1rmed the Korean
Republics opposition to the truce
and, in effect, invited United
States forces to leave any time
they want to:
Sdturddy-The Communist ne
gotiators at Panmunjom broke of
truce talks indefinitely and de-
manded ID return to the POW
camps of the $4,000 still missing
and (2) assurance that the U.N.
command would be able to con-
troll the South Korean govern
ment in the future so as to pre-
vent a recurrence of the breaks.
The How Of II
How 1t happened that South
Korean guards were left so much
latitude that they could release
their North Korean brothers was
q question that was not answered
to many peoples satisfaction at
weeks end.
While President Rhee took full
responsibility, his National Assem-
bly, had voted June Q for ''Immedi-
ate release" Of all prisoners who
did not want to 60 home. His
cabinet had recommended the
action. Newspapers in : South
Korea had reported that prison
camp guards were egging prison
ers on to make q break for it.
The U. N. command explained
that the anti-C Communists were
the least troublesome Of the POWs
and had been turned over to
Korean guards 20 combat troops