Evening star., 1953-08-25
Reds Declare
400 Prisoners
Want TO Stay
Nine Officers Among
1856 Americans Set
Free at Punmuniom
By the Associated Press

PANMUNJOM, Aug. 25.-An-
other 1856 Americans and 264
other United Nations prisoners
of war streamed back to free
dom today but the Reds said
400 of the POWs still in stock
AIDES may not come back be-
cause they have chosen Com
munist rule.
Allied sources confirmed that
the Red statement was handed
over at a meeting of the Pris-
oner Repatriation Committee in
Panmunjom last night. There
was no word of a breakdown of
nationalities among the 400.
Today's release of nine Ameri-
can officers and 127 enlisted men
boosted to nearly 1000 the num-
ber of Americans liberated in
three weeks of the prisoner ex-
change.
One hundred thirty-three more
will be freed tomorrow.
Returnees Are Quiet.
Many Americans repatriated
earlier have told of some fellow
captives who have elected to re-
main behind, either because they
had turned informer and feared
retaliation or had swallowed
Communist propaganda.
In sharp contrast to Commu-
mist prisoners moving northward,
today's liberated Americans came
back quietly. A few shouted
jubilant, but most were silent,
simply happy to return from
bleak North Korean camps. They
appeared in good health.
Communist prisoners delivered
by the U. N. command continued
their violent demonstrations.
Their return was interrupted
three times when North Koreans
spit in the faces of two allied Of
ficers.
Besides the 1876 Americans, the
Reds today handed over $50
South Koreans, 8 Canadians, 3
Australians, 2 Dutch and Greek.
Nine U. S. Officers Freed.
The return of the Dutch sold
iers was a surprise. The Reds
had claimed they didn't hold any
prisoners of that nationality. De-
livery of eight Canadians raised
to "a the number returned, six
more than the Communists had
said they would give back.
The Reds gave no explanation
for the additional returnees.
With 10 days of the massive
swap remaining, the Reds have
returned 1895. of the 1913
Americans they said they held.
The nine American officers
all infantry or field artillery
returned today were of low rank
and there was no indication
when the Communists would
hand over top allied officers held
captive.
The Reds promised to deliver
tomorrow another 400 prisoners
-133 Americans. II British and
$50 South Koreans.
One of the Americans Iiber-
ated today, Corpl. Henry H.
Kern of Hardin. Mont, was
listed by the Defense Depart
ment as having been killed in
the closing days of the war.
Burial Places Listed.
Peiping radio said the Reds
had notified the U. N. command
of the burial places of 1861
allied soldiers who died while
prisoners.
The Reds recently turned over
list of men they said died in
captivity, but it fell far short
of the thousands of U. N. troops
still unaccounted for.
Peiping also said the Com
muniStS had asked at meeting
of the War Prisoner Repatria-
ton commission what the U. N.
commander intended to do about
$50 Chinese it claimed were
being held back.
Army Secretary Stevens re-
Gently said the U. N. command
was holding back the $50 until
it finds out whether the Reds
intend to release all Allied
POWs.
Red Cross Controversy.
While the exchange went into
its last emotion-packed days, an
authoritative source told of Com
munist Red Cross workers who
appeared more determined to
generate propaganda than COM
fort Red prisoners.
The source, who asked that his
name be withheld, said that in
two weeks the Communist Red
Cross teams have made only two
brief visits to Red war prisoner
compounds on Koje Island.
Instead, he said, they spent
most of their time complaining
about interference with their
work while comfort packages of
cigarettes and meats gathered
dust in warehouses.
Three groups of neutral ma
tions investigators left Panmun-
jom for South Korea to investi-
gate Red charges of U. N. inter-