The Second Humiliation

For 15 deadlocked days, the 7,800 suspicious North Korean prisoners would not see the Communist explainers at Panmunjom. Then India's Lieut. General K. S. Thimayya persuaded them they had nothing to fear. "I advised the P.W.s to trust me," he said, "and I would see they were treated with fairness and integrity."

Next day the first of some 400 P.W.s sloughed through Panmunjom's red, viscous mud to the explanation tents, chanting "Death to Communism!" The first P.W. balked at his tent, fear taut in every line of his body, and cried: "No! No! I will not go!" He struggled with three Indian guards, and all four burst into the tent. "Please sit down," said the North Korean explainer. The P.W. swore at the explainer in hoarse, rasping Korean: "You are a pig and a dog and a descendant of pigs and dogs." He kicked at the explainer's table, and spattered his tunic with spittle. The explainer was still calm. "It is your privilege to refuse repatriation," he said evenly. "Why don't we sit down and talk about it?" The P.W. screamed back: "I don't want to hear a word! I lived in North Korea for five years. I don't want to go back. I want to kill you!"

The explainer was not moved. "I don't care if you kick or beat me," he said. "I want you to remember your father and mother, who need you and are waiting for you." The P.W. wrenched at his guards. "You lie, you lie!" he cried. "My mother and father are dead and so are my brothers. You killed them, and you too will die in filth! You are all Russian slaves." The Indian chairman told the guards to take the P.W. back to his compound--and eventual freedom. The P.W. left, still cursing: "Death to all Communist dogs."

No Moon Last Night. Three tents down the line, another explainer was trying to soothe his man: "Last night I was looking at the moon, and thinking how sad it is that you and your friends have not been rescued from the terror of the prison camps, so that you too can look at the moon with your families." The P.W. smiled: for two nights at Panmunjom, the sky had been dark and there was no moon.

The explainer took the smile as a favorable sign, and continued with eloquence: "If you walk out that door [pointing to the door to North Korea], your troubles will be at an end. Your family is waiting for you in Kaesong [six miles away] and you will see them tonight." The P.W. leaned forward as though interested, and lit a cigarette.

The explainer spoke for 50 minutes of the terror in the compounds, the good food and friendship that awaited the P.W. at home, while a bunch of Communists chattered happily outside the tent in the belief they had got their man. The P.W. did not say a word. Then, when Indian guards relaxed their hold, the P.W. remarked, almost casually: "You are wasting your time." and threw himself at the explainer. The P.W. was taken back to his compound, shouting, "Communist son of a whore," but he was also laughing.

"It Is All Prison." One middle-aged P.W. studied his explainer, a major younger than he. "I will listen if you wish," he said, "but first you must listen to me. I was in the North Korean People's Army and I held a rank higher than yours. I will tell you some things you do not know." He proceeded to, until the explainer waved desperately to the guards, who motioned the P.W. back to his compound.

"Wait a minute," the P.W. said crisply, "I am not through. I want to talk to these young men." He was led away.

Some of the explanations lasted ten minutes, others dragged on for an hour or more. The North Korean explainers were calmer, better trained than the Chinese Communists who were humiliated by the Chinese P.W.s last month, but their lies were even more transparent. "You don't know how many wonderful things we've done in North Korea during the past five years," said one.

The P.W. said: "I've only been in prison camp two years. Why did I not see these wonderful things? Where were they?" The explainer told him: "Well, they were there, but I guess you just didn't see them. We now have big farms, fine modern farms ..." The P.W. shouted: "Where is my family land? You rapers of animals took our land."

The explainer tried again: "Our harvests are getting better all the time. We have 15 universities. There are no whores or beggars on the streets . . ." The P.W. interrupted: "You are all whores and beggars!"

The explainer blinked, continued: "Our harvests are now done by huge machines. We have many buildings 16 meters high. If you stay in the south you will be only a shoeshine boy. You can help us build North Korea . . . Go out that door to happiness."

But the P.W. raged at his guards, and cried: "You may speak one thousand words and I will never go back! In South Korea, I can be free though in prison. With you it is all prison."

Search for Pretexts. For the U.N., the day's questioning was another stunning victory, made possible by Thimayya's patience and firmness, but due in the final analysis to the P.W.s themselves. In the compounds, it may be difficult and perhaps dangerous to defy the anti-Communist honchos (or compound leaders), and demand repatriation, but in the explanation tents there is nothing to stop each P.W. going where he chooses. This was the day's final count: explanations, 459; conversions, 21.

The humiliated Communists quickly found a new pretext to deadlock the explanations. They accused Thimayya & Co. of double-dealing, then demanded that they be allowed to broadcast to the P.W.s before each day's explanations. Thimayya, well aware of the anti-Communist temper of the P.W.s, let the Communists have ten minutes loudspeaker time, certain that it would make no difference.

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