Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-21
How 10 Face Capture
Rules Are 0uilnoded
By SchwabIe Case
D. n. A..osiu..d Pres.

The case OF Marine Col. Frank
Echwahle had proved one thing
by today: The Armed Forces
regulations on what to do II cap |
tured as abSolete as the spear.
AS one State Department OBJ
server noted:
1T has become more and more |
evident that the physical and
mental torture of prisoners to |
achieve information and propa-
ganda material is considered by |
the Communists to be q valid |
extension of warfare"
Overshadowing the issue eof |
Col, Schwable's own fate is the /
question how the Armed Forces !
should prepare men for the pos |
sibility Of capture by such an
enemy.
A Marine Corps board Of in
quiry is considering whether the |
44-year old Col. Schwable will
have to face a court martial for
signing a false germ warfare"
confession while a prisoner of |
the Chinese Reds in Korea. The |
basic question is whether his act |
can be considered voluntary or |
whether his captors systematic
cally broke his will.
Incredible Torture.
Maj. Roy Bley. 90. co-pilot in
the plane in which Col. Schwable |
was shot down, has been made an
interested party" before the
board Of inquiry to protect his
rights in event he. too, should |
have to face a similar board.
The testimony has been q story |
Of incredible torture: incredible,
ut least, to any civilized mind.
Under the Geneva convention
10 which the United States adj |
heres, but which it never signed,
q prisoner of war is required to
give only his name. rank and
serial number.
That order "give only your
name, rank and serial number"
has been drummed into millions
Of men in the armed services,
both during World War II and
after.
But was it effective?
A Marine general said. you
can bet that the transcript in
this case will be studied closely.
! know of nothing in the works
now, but I expect some changes
will be made in future indoc-
trination."
Reds Experimenting.
AS for the State Department
observer. an expert on propa-
ganda who asked not to be
named. he noted:
THE pattern of treatment in
these and other cases indicates
that the Communists are expert
menting. Obviously they didn't
expect much of the brain wash
ing to take effect permanently,
but they must have amassed an
enormous amount Of informa-
ton as to the reaction to various
stresses of Americans in various
economic, educational and social
groups. |,
ut will be useful information /,
for them to have about the
United States and it will be
valuable to them in extracting
military information should the
opportunity present itself in the
future"
In his last appearance before
the week end recess, Maj. Bley
told Of being confined to cages,
one resembling the medieval one
in which a man could neither
stand, sit nor lie down. 4
Brutal Mistreatment.
In a matter of fact voice and
often speaking only in half SEN
fences, Maj. Bley told, too, Of be-
ing forced to kneei in the corner
Of a cave for 48 hours with his
hands tied behind him.
To an intent court he related
tales of being beaten, often with
rife butts, Of being forced to
sit for hours on end in cross
legged position despite excruci-
ating pain from an infected
Shrapnel wound in his leg.
Throughout it all, he said, he
was forced to live in his own
filth though sometimes in day.
light he was permitted to 60
outside. !
The breaking point came for
Maj. Bley after he vase forced
to stay awake five days and
five nights walking around and
around a cave.
Col. Schwable had previously
told a similar tale Of brutal mis-
treatment.