Evening star., 1953-08-02
Teams Cross Lines
tomorrow 10 Greet
Freed Allied P0Ws
BY the Asseeiatsd Prsss

BY the ASsoeiatsd Press
MUNSAN. Sunday. Aug. a.
Red Cross teams prepared today
to cross Communist lines for the
first time tomorrow and greet
the first groups of allied war
prisoners moving toward Pan
munjom for the long-awaited
prisoner exchange Wednesday.
Peiping Radio said that the
first batch of non-Korean priS-
oners had left the Communist
camp at Pyoktong, on the North
Korea -Manchuria border. and
should arrive at Kaesong by train
tomorrow. Kaesong is the Reds
advance truce headquarters
northwest of Panmunjom.
Those POWs. many OF them
Americans and including sick
and wounded. perhaps will be
the first group of allied prisoners
to be met by the United Nations
Red Cross team. which is sched-
uled to enter North Korea to-
morrow.
Operation Big Switch"
The emotion packed prisoner
exchange will bring home 1858
allied captives including 1913
Americans and 922 British. The
Communists will get in return
$4,000 prisoners-69,0 900 North
Koreans and 5000 Chinese. Prep
arations for this Operation Big
Switch" overShadowed other de-
.velopments in the newborn
truce.
The Four-Nation Truce Su-
pervisory Commission met in
Panmunjom one hour and Is
minutes this morning and
planned another session at 3
pm. q am. Sunday EST.
Swedish Brig. Gen. Paul Mohn
said the SWISS and Swedish Of
ficers were quite pleased" with
the progress so far of their talks
with the Polish and Czech repre-
sentatives on the commission.
Gen. Mohn told correspond
ents during the recess the talks
are proceeding smoothly and
we have agreed on few things"
The commission job is to over
see truce compliance on both
sides of the buffer zone.
I'VE are considering each mat
ter on its merits and there are
no other considerations at all"
Gen. Mohn said.
The Joint Military Armistice
Commission which will oversee
the policing of the demilitarized
buffer zone between the armies.
was in recess but will convene
again Monday.
Pelping Radio said the ar
mistice commission Saturday
reached agreement on the Speci-
fications. erection and supervi-
sion of markers along the 212-
smlIe-wide buffer zone. The zone
sWill be patrolled by teams COM
posed of allied and Communist
officers.
Cross lover Begins Tomorrow.
Red Cross workers from the
allied and Communists sides
agreed Saturday on the cross
over to minister to the POWs.
They set Monday as the date.
The Communist Red Cross
has given the U. N. side the To-
cation of IA camps where allied
prisoners are held.
Thirty U. N. Red Cross work.
ers will go north to join with 80
Communist counterparts in Wis
iting the allied prisoners in Red
hands. And 80 more will accom-
pany an equal number of Reds
to allied stockadeS in South
Korea.
A 10-man Red Cross co-ordi-
mating group will remain at PAN
munjom for the prisoner ex-
change.
The U N. group includes Red
Cross workers from the United
States. South Korea. Denmark,
Great Britain, Australia. Canada.
the Netherlands, the Philippines
and Turkey.
Promise 400 Daily.
The Communists say they will
deliver 400 allied prisoners daily
in groups of 100 hourly at Pan
munjom. The first transfer is
scheduled for 9 am. Wednesday
GO pm. Tuesday. EDIT. AS fast
as received at Panmunjom the
men will be rushed to Freedom
Village at MunSan for any at
tention. medical or otherwise,
needed before they move on to
hospitals or points of departure
for home
If the operation proceeds with
out a hitch all allied prisoners
should be back in friendly hands
In 80 days after the first eX-
change. The armiStice terms are
that the exchange must be COM
pleted within so days after the
signing July 27.
Mr.. Neatherlin said the allies
are shipping daily to Inchon,
near Seoul. more than 1000 Red
POWs from camps at Koie and
Cheju islands and at Pusan.
They have only a short trip from
1nchon to Panmunjom.
The four nation Neutral Ar
nnistice Supervisory Committee at
Its first meeting Saturday worked
out a way to talk to each other.
The Swiss and the SwedeS will
speak to the Poles and Czechs in
French. which will be translated
into Polish and Czech. The Poles
and Czechs will speak in their
respective tongues. which will be
translated into English.