Evening star., 1953-04-09
Enemy Accepts
AIIU. n. Points
On POW Trade
But Refuses to Add
More-Numes to List
Of 500 EIieibIes
BY the Assoeiofed Press

MUNSAN, Korea, April o.
The Communists unexpectedly
agreed this afternoon to all ma
jor points of an Allied proposal
for exchanging sick and wounded
prisoners. An agreement may
be signed tomorrow (tonight,
EST.
Agreement on the mechanics
of trading disabled prisoners
came during a meeting of staff
officers which followed the reg
ular session of liaison groups.
If an agreement is signed to-
morrow, exchange of sick and
wounded prisoners could start
within 10 days. The Reds re-
iterated earlier today that they
will return no more than 600
Allied prisoners-including prob
ably not more than 12S Amer
leans.
The Communist staff officers
delivered replies to three ques-
tions asked earlier by the chief
United Nations delegate. The
agreement covers the size and
operation of conveys and sets
the termination date for the ex-
change at 20 days after the
agreement becomes effective.
Reds Assembling POWs.
A formal signing tomorrow
could pave the way for a resump-
tion of full-scale armistice talks
to resolve the long-remaining
issue blocking a truce in Korea
an overall exchange of prisoners.
A highly placed American
source said the Communists al
ready have begun gathering the
sick and wounded for repatriat-
ing through Panmunjom and
that the exchange probably will
take place within 10 days.
The allies have said they are
ready to send back $500 dis
abled Red captives, 5,1OO North.
Koreans and TOO Chinese.
Rear Admiarl John C. Daniel,
chief U. N. liaison officer, said
he tried three times in the meet
ing at Panmunjom today to get
the Communists to sign the
agreement. They wouldn't get
out their pens. he said, but they
indicated they would be ready
to sign at tomorrow's II am.
% pm. Thursday, EST meet
ing.
I'm doing everything I can
to have it signed tomorrow" Ad-
miral Daniel said. Il think it's
quite possible"
Ready to Go on Exchange.
Asked if the U. N. Is ready
to start the exchange on "a to
48 hours notice. Admiral Daniel
said, We're ready to CO."
The Communists today prom
ised to hand over sick and
wounded Allied POWS at the rate
Of 100 a day. They said they
would receive 500 disabled Reds
from the Allies each day.
If the agreement on arrange
ments for trade of sick and
wounded prisoners is signed to-
morrow, it will have been ham
mered out in only five days of
businesslike meetings. in contrast
to the full-scale armiStice ne
gotiations that began in July.
1851, Jagged through months of
acrimonious debate, then were
broken off indefinitely by the al
lies last October s.
Admiral Daniel said no refer
ence had been made inside the
Panmunjom conference hut to a
resumption of the main truce
talks.
Red China Premier Chou En-
lai has proposed this and U. N.
commander Gen. Mark Clark
has asked top Red leaders IN
North Korea for specific details
of Chou's plan, but so far there
has been no Red reply.
ReViSiOnS Made in Wording.
If an exchange of sick and
wounded POWs goes well, Gen.
Clark has indicated that he
might agree to sending his
armistice negotiators back to
Panmunjom.
North Korean Maj. Gen. Lee
Sang Cho, head of the Com
munist liaison group, opened to-
days session by handing u. N.
representatives the Red revisions
(See TRUCE. Page A-5.)