Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-18
CorpI. Dickinson
Court Martial 10
Begin tomorrow
By John A. Giles

~ SOUb ~ SUSS
The court martial of a Virginia
mountain boy charged with cur
rying favor with his Communist
captors in Korea at the expense
of fellow war prisoners begins
here tomorrow.
The proceedings, expected to
last at least two weeks, will be
watched closely by top military
officials seeking a precedent for
handling hundreds of similar
cases.
Corpl. Edward S. Dickinson.
%, of Crackers Neck, Va, is the
defendant. Nine officers will be-
gin hearing his case at 8 am. at
Fort Lesley j. McNair. The trial
will be open to the public.
The corporal, who comes from
q family of II children and fin
ished the fifth grade in school.
first chose to stay with the Reds
in Korea but later changed his
mind.
The charges are in no way con-
nected with his failure to accept
repatriation Immediately. They
predate that decision.
Col. c. Robert Bard, a West
Point veteran of 81 years service
and a Virginia Law School grad
uate, has been assigned as prose-
cutor. He plans to call 40 fell
low ex-prisoners and half dozen
technical experts. The first
scheduled witness is Corpl.
Thomas A. Carrick of Blacksburg,
Va, who now is stationed at
Aberdeen (MdD Proving Ground.
He was in a foxhole with Corpl.
Dickinson when the two were
captured.
Court Members Listed.
The chief defense counsel is
q retired colonel and West Point
graduate. He is Guy Emery of
the firm of Ansell g. Ansell,
which is headed by the World
War I Army Judge Advocate
General, retired Maj. Gen. Sam
uel T. Ansell. He will receive no
fee.
Mr.. Emery said he would call
about II witnesses, including
three psychiatrists.
Col. Walter j. Wolfe of 1914
South Wakefield street, Airing
ton. is president of the court.
Other members are Col. Alcorn
B. johnson, Maj. Paul M. Mar
tin. Capt. Harold H. Hartstein,
1t. Andreas j. Moller, 1t. Col.
Owen D. Boorom, Maj. John w.
Reser. Maj Edwin D. Bowman
and Col. Ralph D. Burr.
Col. Richard F. Scarborough
Of the Judge Advocate Generals
office will serve as law officer.
AS such, he will decide questions
Of law but not vote on questions
Of guilt or innocence.
Corpl. Dickinson, who re-
turned last November 10 and has
been held prisoner by the Army
since January. says he CO.
operated with the Reds under
duress and that at one time tried
to escape. for which he was
beaten. He has denied informing
on fellow captives.
Could Get Life Term.
The maximum penalty which
can be imposed on him is life
Imprisonment. The Army has
ruled out the death penalty. A
finding Of guilt requires two
thirds vote of the court.
There is no connection be-
tween the Dickinson case and
that of Col. Frank H. Schwable,
the Marine Corps officer who
went before a court of inquiry
here earlier this year.
Col. Schwable signed a false
germ" warfare confession. He
told the court he signed the
document, used by the Reds for
propaganda purposes, after ex-
IRENE m entail and physical
cruelty. No charges have been
placed against him.
Neither does the case have any
connection with the so Air Force
personnel who also Confessed"
A f1ve-man board of senior gen.
erals has been studying their
cases but no results have been
announced.
But all the services, with the
possible exception of the Navy,
do have other cases in which ex-
POWs have charged cooperation
by their fellow captives to OBJ
tain favorable treatment. Be-
cause of this there is a close in
terest in the Dickinson case on
the part of top Pentagon officials.