Evening star., 1953-12-18
Hope for POW Talks
Fade, but They May
Get One Last Chance
BY the Associoted Press

PANMUNJOM, Dec. 18.-The
top neutral officer in Korea in
dicated today that reluctant war
prisoners - including the %
Americans-may get one last
chance to change their mind
after the explanation period ends.
Meanwhile, hopes dWindled
that Allied persuasion teams will
meet the % Americans before
the deadline next Wednesday
midnight.
The Neutral Nations Repatri-
alton Commission put off until
Monday consideration of de-
mands by pro-Communist South
Korean prisoners which the
Americans and one British pris-
oner say must be met before
they will attend interviews.
No Definite Plan.
1t. Gen. K. S. Thimayya, In
dian chairman of the repatria-
ton commission, said in answer
to written questions from news
men that he might take up at
a later date" the possibility of
screening all prisoners who re-
fused to return to their home
lands.
Although Gen. Thimayya said
he had mo plan, either concrete
or tentative" there has been
speculation he would give the
POWs one last chance-without
any coercion. He said six weeks
ago he planned on it.
At that time Gen. Thimayya
suggested he would station an
Indian officer in a hut. have all
POWs remaining in neutral Gus
tody file through individually,
and express their desire in one
word-"repatriation" or non
repatriation"
Other Indian officers offered
another simple plan: Have the
prisoners walk single file, at
considerable distances from each
other, down a narrow Y-shaped
path. One path would lead to
repatriation, the other back to
the Indian guarded compound
in the neutral zone.
A South Korean prisoner who
fed from the pro-CommuniSt
compound Wednesday said four
Americans and about 20 South
Koreans might return home if
given a chance. A total of II
Koreans remain to be inter-
viewed.
Gen. Thimayya has estimated
that as many as $500 Koreans
and Chinese among about 10000
allied captives who have not
been interviewed would choose
repatriation.
With time running out on the
stalemated explanations, the al
lied command laid plans to
reach the former United Nations
soldiers in ways other than face
to-face meetings.
United States officers said
possibilities included loudspeaker
broadcaStS of Christmas carols,
holiday messages from friends
and relatives and come home
appeals from speakers set up
outside prison compounds.
The Communists did this re-
cently-with Indian approval
to anti-Red North Korean and
Chinese POWs.
The U.N. will not ask the
Indians to force reluctant priS'
oners to attend explanations
Protest Considered.
The repatriation commission
which met today, said it hat
to postpone consideration of th'
pro-Red Korean POW protest;
because translation of the 80
page document was not com
plete.
In other actions the commits
sion:
/. Directed the Indian ReG
Cross to handle distribution O
gifts sent to the Indian custo
dian force and the commission
for POWs of both sides.
2. Set up a subcommittee Il
review and censor propagand;
out of motion picture film sen
to the NNRC for POW showings
3. Decided to consider distri
button of censored civilian news
papers to POWs of both sides.
Meanwhile. at a military ar
mistice commission meeting tn,
allies renewed charges that th'
Communists are illegally detain
ing captured allied soldiers il