Evening star., 1953-09-21
Reds Tell Allies
Most Of 3,4O4
Weren't POWs
U. N. AneriIy Rejects
Contention Missing
Men Weren't Seized
By The Assoeiofed Press

men WeT6n I SeIZe0
By the Associated Press
PANMUNJOM, Sept. 21.-The
Communists said today they
never captured" most of the
S,404 allied troops for whom the
United Nations Command has
demanded an accounting and
the allies angrily called the re-
ply totally unsatisfactory and
unacceptable"
AT the same time, the Com
muniStS demanded an account
ing for 98,742 North Koreans
and Chinese they said were cap
tured by the allies and are miss
ing.
The long-awaited Red answer
was to the September 9 allied
demand that the Communists
produce the 3,404 men-includ-
ing more than 900 Americans
or disclose what happened to
them.
Most of them have never
been captured at ALL" said North
Korean 1t. Gen. Lee Sang Cho
at a meeting of the Joint Mill
tary Armistice Commission.
Allies Reply Promptly.
United States Maj. Gen. Black
shear M. Bryan, senior Allied
delegate, promptly replied:
Your statement is totally
unsatisfactory and unacceptable.
None of the people listed have
been repatriated. None have been
reported by you as having died
or escaped. Based on statements
emanating from your side, all
were in custody at some
time. :"
The men on the list were
neither released nor reported
dead, the U. N. Command said.
The Communists charged that
the Allied roster was "crudely
manufactured without having
been carefully checked at ALL"
They said SIG men already
had been returned to the allied
command and $50 have long been
accounted for in rosters sub
mitted to the allies as released
at the front, escaped or dead"
AS to the rest, the Communists
said, some refused repatriation
but most of them have never
been captured at ALL"
Details Promised by Reds.
BY persistent demands Gen.
Bryan got from the Communists
a promise to furnish by nation
alities the number of allied pris-
onerS the Reds hold who refuse
repatriation.
The Communists previously
had informed the u. N. Com
mand that they hold more than
300 South Koreans and more
than 20 non-Koreans, but never
had given a breakdown by
nationality.
At the close of the meeting
Gen. Lee promised the break
down but did not say when.
The Reds are scheduled to
deliver the allied prisoners to
Indian troops in the demilitarized
zone Thursday.
At the Indian Village 5 miles
southwest of Panmunjom in the
buffer zone, the allied delivery
of anti-Communist prisoners to
the Indian custodial force
neared an end.
Transfer Nearly Complete.
During the day, the U. N.
transfer of 500 North Koreans
and 1855 Chinese swelled the
total delivered so far to 20,O28.
Fewer than $500 more are to be
turned over by Wednesday.
The U. N. command reported
that two Chinese prisoners who
changed their minds and de-
cided to go home will be deliv-
cred directly to the Reds Thurs
day. A North Korean who
changed his mind on arrival at
the demilitarized zone may be
turned over to the Communists
tomorrow, an Indian spokesman
said.
The allies today called on the
Neutral Repatriation Commits
sion to prevent the Communists
from using force or threats in
attempting to persuade allied
held prisoners to change their
minds.
In a letter to Indian 1t. Gen.
x. S. Thimayya, chairman of the
repatriation commission, United
States Brig. Gen. A. L. Hamblen,
head of the U. N. repatriation
group, said the allies feel priS-
onerS shouldn't be forced to de-
eide all over again whether to
be repatriated, but do have the
right to change their minds.
There was a noticeable break
in the tension surrounding allied
deliveries to the Indians yester-'
day when a group OF North Ko-
rear1s surprised thier new guards
with invitations to a special re-
ception.
Other anti Communists had
'SSee POWS, Page A-6)