‘Significant information’ on Koje POW camps suppressed

a

S Only British POW’s in
incon. ee and CENTRE) are
Americ, and perturbed over
ang Bae treatment of Korean

Mese POW’s on Koje Is-

re (See Story on page 2.)

the e troops serving with
Sign ae Commonwealth Div-
0 be rote) are reported
er; Yerly critical of the Am-

Can at
Dlan ‘Voluntary repatriation”

The, :
diay believe the U.S. scheme
YS the rights of soldiers

Br itish troops perturbed as
U.S. flouts POW rights

taken prisoner, as established
by the Geneva Convention of
1949, and may endanger their

own rights.

British public opinion has
been aroused by U.S.

of the Geneva Convention, Fam-

flouting

ilies with men serving in the
British forces are particularly
concerned because of the [pos-
sible repercussions of “volun-
tary repatriation” on their own
men in the event of their be-
ing taken prisoner.

NEW YORK
General Mark Clark, U.S. Su-
preme Commander in the Far
East, was accused last week by
Robert Allen, Washington corres-
pondent of the New York Post,
of “provocative action’? designed
to cause difficulties at the Pan-
munjom truce talks,

And the U.S.. House of Repre-
sentatives issued a report saying
that Brig.-Generals Dodd and Col-
son had been cleared by a U.S.
First Army inquiry into their con-
duct over the detention of Gen-
eral Dodd, by Koje prisoners, but
General Clark had reversed the
decision,

General Clark had insisted that
the two generals be demoted to
colonels because they had pro-
mised humanitarian treatment to
the Koje prisoners.

Allen also disclosed that U-S.
Army Secretary Frank Pace, at
a secret Senate hearing, had
admitted the. U.S. government
wouldn’t have a leg to stand on
if the Koje Island pirsoner-of-
war case came before an inter-
national tribune.

Allen reported that the U.S.
Senate Armed Services Commit-
tee, before which Pace testified,
“has suppressed the most signifi-
cant information regarding the
Koje Island riots.’’

What was. suppressed,
said, was the testimony of Pace
and U.S. Army Chief of Staff Col-
lins that ‘‘hot-headed’’ South Kor-
ean guards ‘‘killed and wounded
a considerable number of prison-
ers before ex-Gen. Dodd was
seized by the PO'W’s.’*

“This undisclosed incident was
also the reason,’’ Allen wrote,
“why (Gen.) Colson signed the

, Statement in which he ad-
mitted that POW’s.had been
killed.’’ Colson was demoted, then,
for attesting to the same crimes
his superior, Pace, ac-
in seeret. To

which
knowledged later
cover up this admitted slaughter,
Allen alleged that the prisoners
“hoped”? they would be shot at
and killed.

But Pace himself admitted that
no international tribunal would
absolve the U.S. government for
the real responsibility in the mis-
treatment of the Korean and Chi-
nese POW’s.

Allen reprinted the following
exchange between Pace and Sen.
Wayne B. Morse (R.-Ore.), mem-
ber of the Senate group:

“Mir, Secretary, would you say
it is accurate to state that a num-
ber of prisoners, who made in-
sulting remarks and threw: stones
at their South Korean guards
were shot to death by hot-heads
among these guards?

“T believe that would be a fair
statement,’’ conceded Pace,

“Now let us suppose,” contin-
ued Morse, “that this incident was
placed before an international
tribunal. Based on the informa-_
tion we have, do you think our
case would fare very well before
such a tribunal?”

“No, I do not,’ admitted Pace,
Charging General Clark with
“provocative meddling in the Pan-
mtnjom armistice negotiations,”
Allen said:

“Tt was he who was directly

Allen f

day recess announced by the UN
delegates.

“General Clark ordered this
dangerous move without the
knowledge or approval of the
Joint Chiefs-of-Staff. They were
as surprised as the Commun-
ists when it happened.”

The report released by the
House of Representatives said
that brother officers found that
Generals Dodd and Clark had
“acted in the best interests of the
United States.’

The five-member board’
ducting the inquiry consisted of
a brigadier, two colonels and two

lieut.-colonels.

con-

Representative R. L. F, Sikes,
chairman of the House Appropria-
tions Sub-Committee, commented
that this board ‘‘produced noth-
ing but an inexcusable white-
wash.”’

Pace said General Dodd was
demoted because he went to the
prison compound to talk to pris-
oners instead of summoning their
leaders to his office. General Col-
son was demoted because he failed
to show the ‘major competence”
expected of a general officer.

Pace admits U.S. actions indefensible

U.S. bars

Red Cross
from Koje

TOKYO

Trying to conceal the full hor-
ror of their actions on Koje, the
Americans have banned the Inter-
national Red Cross from the Koje
camps.

The ban is to last until the

Americans have established what
they consider to be ‘‘full control.”
Then the inspectors of ‘the Inter-
national Red Cross will only have
to see what the Americans want
them to see.
. An inspection team which was
in Koje during the February mas-
sacre exposed the American shoot-
ing and killing of prisoners, and
the U.S. authorities fear a second
exposure.

Pretext for the ban is that the
Red Cross personnel might get in-
jured—but when the Internation-
al Red Cross said that was their
responsibility, the Americans

stuck to heir refusal.

Koje guilt on Clark

compound 66, is led

U.S. Lieut, General Van Fleet.
Clark reversed a finding which cl

responsible for the abrupt three-

the Koje horror camps,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE

\

A Korean officer (TOP), leader of Korean. POW’s in Koje
away to
(BOTTOM), U.S. General Mark Clark tours the compounds with
It has now been revealed that

solitary confinement, And

eared Brig. Generals Dodd and

Carlson and ordered them reduced in rank because they signed
a statement admitting the slaying of POW’s
humane treatment to Chinese and Korean POW’s imprisoned in

and promising

— JUNE 20, 1952 — PAGE 3