Milford chronicle., 1954-03-26
SOLDIERS MUST BE TRAINED
AGAINST COMMUNISM

"Of course there is an organized group
of communists among the Korean war pris-
0ners who have returned to this country /
ought to know-until a couple of months
ago was one of them" Thus William A.
Ulman writing in the Saturday Evening
Post quotes a returned American sergeant.
Mr.. Ulman's article carries the descrip-
tive title "The GPs Who Fell For the Reds"
and is based primarily on interviews with
over sixty former POW's To get these in
terviews he travelled more than 5000 miles
by car, and ranged from New York City to
tiny Businesses in the Kentucky hills. AS he
points out, there is no simple answer "to
why an American POW becomes a nonrepa-
triate Or-iuSt as bad-a communist SYM
pathizer when he returns to his home" But,
from his talks with returnees some of
whom had been at least temporarily con-
Verted to Red views and some who hadn't
he came to four definite and important con-
illusions.
First, none of those who swallowed Red
propaganda knew what they were fighting
for-''they had no satisfactory definition of
what communism was in theory or, more
important, in practice
Second, every man questioned, save for
handful Of World ii veterans, felt that he
had been inadequately trained for combat
All, regardless of previous service, were
bitter over the lack or inadequacy of anti
communist political indOctrination, which
these veteran soldiers now consider as i'm
pOrtant as grenade practice" early in
the article, Mr.. Ulman saws he visited the
Pentag0n and was ':tartly told'' that each
soldier is given a considerable number of
hours of such indOctrinatiOn. However, go
ing by his interviews, "It was evidently not
sufficient or was poorly carried out in prac-
tice."
Third, most Of the soldiers ne talked with
felt that the demands made by wives and
mothers for peace at any price and quick
return Of their men "were worth between
two and four divisions to the communist
armies"
FOurth-"As to the question of what
makes an American soldier turn communist
IN the first place, was given a dOuble-dis-
titled answer: vanity and Self-indulgence on
one hand, fear and hunger on the other" In
other words, the Reds followed the ''condi-
toned reflex" theory of the famous scientist
Pavlov, and mixed threats with promises of
rewards to those who would cooperate
Mr.. Ulman deals in considerable de-
tai with the backgrounds and records of
POW's who were leaders in communist cells.
They are mixed lot. One came of a family
OF pronounced Marxist leanings. Another
was OF the type who loves power. Others
were 'helpleS punks' in the face of trained
communist indoctrinatorS" Others became
Deilevers when American officers capitulated
to pressure and falsely confessed to have
waged germ warfare-in this connection,
Mr.. Ulman writes: ct cannot be overem-
phasized that the persuasive power of one
American officer on group of CTS in such
circumstances is beyond calculation, to saw
nothing of the effect on world opinion" One
thing is common to them all-the Chinese
Reds hoped that on their return to this
country they would devote their energies
and varied talents to spreading the com
munist line
1t is obvious that a small number of such
men, even if they should fulfill their former
captors hopes aren't of much danger to
this country. But Mr.. Ulman's article is an
impressive and often frightening descrip-
ton OF new weapon of war which works on
minds-One that did not exist before the
present worldwide conflict between irrecon-
ciliable ideologies.
&1D(Sg
COMPETITION GETS KEENER
The times are just slipping into history
when all a merchant had to do was get hold
OF the merchandise and tho p11efonooro yr,o,,l,J