Evening star., 1953-11-01
| Reds React Swiftly
To P0Ws' Rejection;
HurI Barb at India
BY the A.soeiaied Pres,

! bI Ihe ASSoctofeo PGeSS
PANMUNJOM, Sunday, Nov
1.-Red China, infuriated owe,
yesterdays humiliating 438-to
81 rejection Of communism b!
kicking, screaming North Ko,
rean prisoners. quickly cast {
shadow last night on the future
of the interviews.
In an unusually swift reaction
Peiping Radio only four hour.
after the tempeStuous interview,
ended accused the Indian com.
mand indirectly of doubled deal
ing.
The charge, as swiftly denied
by Indian officers, was that the
Reds had asked for prisoners tc
be brought from compound 81
but that they came from "a, IS
and 81.
1t seemed possible that the
Reds were raising a new issue
aimed at stalling the explana-
tionS rather than have the world
witness more than 96 per cent
of the Chinese and North Ko-
rean captives turning down COM
munism.
To Resume Monday.
The interviews were due to
resume Monday after a Sunday
recess today.
The Reds had been banking
on the 1890 North Koreans for
a propaganda angle after the
first 921 Chinese interviewed out
of the 14,702 in custody had
yielded only 20 willing to go
back to Red rule.
The Communists indicated
that by refusing to interview any
more Chinese while demanding
that the North Koreans be
brought out even at gun point
for the persuasion talks
Yesterday the Reds got their
answer - curses. splitting and
threats "We will come back and
kill you ALL"
The Communists lost no time
in putting the blame on the
Indian custodial command.
Indians Indignant.
An Indian spokesman would
not comment on the Peiping
broadcast other than to deny
the charge but his voice was
hard and indignant.
"The Northern command
(Communist) asked for the men
from compound 49," the Indian
spokesman said.
THAT is what they got, the
full compound. Nor is it possible
that the prisoners could have
changed places. They cannot
leave the compound to do So"
The Red broadcast directly at
tackled "Syngman Rhee agents, !"
but was certain to outrage the
Indian command, which has
made every effort to go down
the middle between the two con-
tending sides.
"The prisoners who came to
the explanation site this morn
ing were from compound num-
berS "a, 35 and st." Peiping
said. This clearly reveals that
the Syngman Rhee agents fully
utilized the period of IL days
during which interviews were
delayed) to strengthen their
rule of terror over the prisoners
of war"
Interviews Violent.
Saturdays explanations were
a passionate, often violent series
of battles for the prisoners
allegiance. Some lectured the
Reds and taunted them by in
viting them to throw off that
filthy uniform and come out of
the south door of this tent with
me-"
Some of the interviews were
as short as 80 seconds if the
prioners showed uncomfortable
violence, and the North Korean
instructor did not insist.
But if the prisoner was calmer
or showed the least interest. the
Indian chairman allowed the
Reds to take almost as long as
they liked. Several interviews
ran over one hour and a half.
The long interviews, during
which the Indian guards often
had to hold a prisoner by force,
brought strong and immediate
objections from United Nations
ObServers-moStly American and
South Korean officers.
May File Protest.
Whether the U. N. side would
make a formal protest remains
to be seen.
In most cases inside the tents,
the Indian chairman, supported
by the Swiss, Swedish. Czech and
Polish committee members, al
lowed the interviews to proceed.
Occasionally the Communist
speakers grew threatening or
contemptuous and then were si-
lenced by the Indian chairman.
There was even an element of
humor in some of the turbulent
When one prisoner
kicked over a small table in front
of the Communist speaker. the
Indian warned him gravely. You
must behave or we will arrest
you"