Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-26
els Explain Why
They Prefer Reds;
Peiping Takes Them
Continued From First Page0

pairing minds for another con-
flict. not for peace. I know OF
no good officials in the United
States government"
Wills asked that the following
be sent to his father and sister
Il am all right, in good health
Don't worry about me. I'll see
you in the future. And I will try
to write in the future"
All Look Healthy.
The 81 Americans looked
healthy, rosy-cheeked and warm
in their big blue padded Chi
nese overcoats.
They were cheerful and looked
well-fed.
All the prisoners were clean
shaven.
They posed readily for pho
tographers.
There was no indication they
were i'll at ease among fellow
Americans, although some joked
and laughed about mike fright
when they faced radio and tele-
vision microphones.. -.
The Americans, one Briton
and 1926 Koreans marched jaun-
tily from their isolated COM
pound in the quiet buffer zone
between the huge Red and allied
armies in Korea.
They had set up this first
meeting with American news
men and they showed no reluc-
lance to be interviewed. sepa-
rately or together. However
some refused to answer specific
questions.
Red Writers There, Too.
Communist newsmen also at
tended the conference in the
Panmunjom hut where the ar
miStice agreement was signed
last summer.
The extraordinary news con-
ference appeared designed to get
the Communists off the hook
and let them accept the pro-
Red POWs as free men rather
than war prisoners.
Several said bitterly that the
United States had said it would
not prosecute any who returned
and cited possible courtmartial
charges before Corpl. Edward S.
Dickinson of Crackers Neck, Va,
one of two who left the original
group of % earlier,
The United States never an
nounced publicly that any re-
turning prisoners would be guar
anteed immunity. but promised
fair and friendly individual
treatment.
Pfc. Samuel d. Hawkins, Ok
lahoma City. said do you think
they tried to buy us? Don't the
people realize that each of us
had about $4,000 in back pay
which we could have collected
If We had gone back?"
They also denied rumors Of
sexual perversion in their camp.
I'VE are all normal" said
HAWKINS. there are no homo
sexuals and no perverts."
In idividual. interviews, the
men gave their reasons for
choosing communism over their
homeland.
Sergt. Albert C. Belhomme.
Ashland, Pa. said:
You probably know that I
am of Belgian descent and that
I spent most of my life in Eu-
rope. You may also know that
I spent five years of my life I'M
der Hitler's occupation. have
no desire to return and let Nc
Carthy finish the job which he
CHitler) started"
Corpl. William A. Cowart,
Monticello, Ark:
My desire is for world peace.
If I return to the United States
and try to talk for and achieve
world peace I probably would
end up in Valley Forge "a mill
tary hospitaD or the Georgia
State prison. shall return to
the United States, but only
when world peace is attained
and when there are no longer
any McCarthys, McCarrans, or
Smiths
Cowart said he hopes to live
temporarily in Peiping, capital of
Red China. A number of the
other men said they did not
know, or preferred not to say,
where they would live.
COrpl. Andrew Fortuna, Lin
coin Park. Mich. said:
Like the rest of the men, my
main reason for staying behind
is to fight for peace but perhaps
1 understand even a little better
how important world peace is.
I fought in World War II against
the Fascists. l came back to
find Fascists in my own country
in the form of Mccarthy and
men of his caliber.
II don't want to go back to
that. But I will go back as soon
as the people of the United
States get rid of the McCarthys
and the Veldes."
Pfc. William C. White, Plum
mesville, Ark, said:
II have been prisoner for
three years. For the first time
in my life l have known what
it has meant to have complete
equality for men of all races
and colors to work together and
play together. When I see
things like this / am reminded
of what happened to me in my
own country, where as children ]
and other Negro boys were
whipped by white policemen be-
cause. we did not take our hats
off to them"
Sergt. Rufus E. Douglas, Texon,