Correspondents’ View – 4

press photo release of Gen. Dean

Night Owl has told us in previous comments that the Communist reporters could often be a more valuable source of information and in the following article, published 24 December 1951 in the New York Journal America, his statement is demonstrated.

Saga of Suffering and Survival:

Gen. Dean Foxed Reds for Month

By Rafael Steinberg

International News Service Staff Correspondent

PANMUNJOM, Korea, Dec. 24 – The incredible story of Maj. Gen. William F. Dean’s survival and capture after being cut off from his troops in the thick of battle was related today by a Communist newsman at Panmunjom.

Wilfred Burchett, correspondent for the Paris newspaper CE Soir, who said he interviewed Dean in a North Korean prison camp two days ago, gave Allied newsmen the drama-packed story of the heroic American officer.

Burchett told how the former commander of the 24th Div. survived 20 days without food; how he wondered through North Korea eluding capture for a month; how he had saved a bullet to kill himself rather than be captured and how he was twice betrayed to the reds.

Allied newsmen agreed Burchett’s story, although containing propaganda, was not a hoax.  Burchett said he interviewed Dean in his “prison cell” in the North Korean capitol of Pyongang.  His reference to a prison cell indicated Dean is held in solitary confinement.

The saga of Gen. Den began July 25, 1950, when a pitifully small band of American soldiers were fighting to slow down a powerful North Korean army crashing into Taejon in South Korea.  Dean returned to his command post to find escape routes cut by communist road blocks.

Dean left his jeep to encourage his outnumbered troops not to surrender.  He lost the jeep, hopped on a tractor and then ran up against the stone wall of red road blocks.

Gen. William F. Dean

With a wounded aide, Lt. Arthur Clarke, and a small group of others, Dean tried to find a way out on foot.  He left the group to make his way to a brook and ordered the others to wait no longer than an hour for him.  On the way down he stumbled, and lost consciousness.  When he awoke it was 2:30 a.m.  Gen. Dean never knew if he had been unconscious a few hours or a full day.  Apparently suffering a fractured collar bone, he made his way to the brook to drink and remained there two days, too weak to move.

Dean hear footsteps and cocked his pistol but found the approaching man was an American officer who aided him.  Burchett said Dean does not remember the officer’s name although for two days the two trudged through hills and paddy fields.

Starving, Dean and his companion finally turned to a Korean peasant home for help.  They were given eggs and a place to sleep.  Then they were betrayed for the first time.  English speaking voices called to them to come out and they would not be harmed.  But they slipped away with Dean leading.  During the resultant firing and confusion, the officer became separated from Dean.  They never saw each other again.

Medal of Honor

Dean hid in a foxhole for an entire day and in some manner he does not remember, got some rice, the last food he was to eat for 20 days.  He survived solely on water.  Burchett quoted Dean as saying:  In his 20 agonizing days without food, Dean was surrounded five times but escaped.  Four of the five times he was surrounded he was betrayed by children who reported his presence in the neighborhood.

Dean attempted to move by night and sleep by day but was always betrayed by Korean civilians.  Dean began to think that his chances of escape were good.  But he was betrayed again to North Korean troops.  They captured him.

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These next articles were published in The Caberra Times on Saturday 15 December 1951. (Correspondents unknown)

NEW PROPOSAL IN ARMISTICE TALKS

(A.A.P. – Reuter)

TOKYO, Friday.

peace negotiations

The Communists made a new six-point plan for the supervision of the armistice at the truce talks at Panmunjom today.  The proposal included the limited rotation of troops at the rate of 5000 on each side monthly.

The United Nations spokesman, General Nuckols, said that although this was below the present Allied level, it suggested that the Communists would accept the Allied plan for a neutral inspection body operating under a military armistice commission.

In the prisoner of war sub-committee, the Communists again deadlocked discussions by refusing to hand over information about Allied prisoners in their hands.  The Communists again refused to allow International Red Cross representatives to visit their prisoner of war camps.  United Nations negotiator, Rear Admiral Libby, asked them, “Is this because your prisoner list contains only a handful of names and you are ashamed to give it to us?”

Preserving Strength

TOKYO, Friday.

The Allies in Korea are bringing in enough additional troops to meet any forceable Communist ground attack.  This was announced “somewhere in Korea” today by the Allied ground commander, General James Van Fleet, in answer to queries from American United Press.

James Van Fleet

He was asked if he thought the Communists ever could get strong enough to push the Allies out of Korea, “The 8th Army will never be pushed out of Korea as far as comparative ground strength is concerned between the enemy and ourselves,” he replied.  “The point of balance lies in the air.  If the enemy throws in his Manchurian potential and we don’t have enough additional air power to combat that threat, then the 8th Army might be jeopardized.  At the present time, we do not anticipate that possibility.” he said.

Asked if he thought the Communists were getting stronger every day of the current lull in the fighting, General Van Fleet said they were and had been strengthening themselves even before the lull occurred.  For several months, he said, the Communist supply and replacement activities had been improving.

UN delegates

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Farewell Salutes – 

*Richard W. Asbury – Maryland; US Army Air Corps, Lt. Col. (Ret.), WWII, Korea, Vietnam – The last remaining WWII flying ace.

Laurice Tappan – Chandler, AZ; US Navy WWII nurse

Merlin Marion Andrew – London, England; ambulance driver, WWII, blitz

Clifford Gallant – Providence, RI; USMC, WWII, PTO, Japanese interpreter

Gene Hoffman – Rochester, NY; US Army, WWII

Samuel Leabo – Phoenix, AZ; US Navy, 1st Class Machinist Mate, WWII

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Resouces:

http://nightowlsnotebook.wordpress.com

National Library of Australia; Trove archives