The Key West citizen. [volume], May 04, 1953, Page Page 3, Image 3

About The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current

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BITTER AT CHARGE OF ton. VjJSEL
Ten Returning Deny Communist Taint
By TOM BRADSHAW
and BILL ALEXANDER
PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. <tfv-Ten
gkunt, tight-lipped men stepped
into the public spotlight at Valley
Forge military hospital to deny
they had been tainted by commu
nism while prisoners of war in
Korea.
They were bitter—and they
nfade it plain they felt they had
reason to be.
The stage lor their tense drama
was set yesterday at the hospital
here—a short drive from the Revo
lutionary War memorial park that
gave the hospital itr name. It had
its origin in .he circumstances
furrounding their flight home after
release by their Fed captors.
While the 10—and 10 compan
ions—were on .-oute, from Tokyo
by plane last Tnursday, an Aicj
Force spokesman said the Penta/j
gon had ordered a veil of secrecfc
thrown around the flight “becauf -
of the position taken by the Art*
and others that these men mr
have been misled under conditJ
of duress and hardship during F
period of their captivity.” /
And the Pentagon said Vpy
Forge Hospital had been desr 1 *
ed the best spot for treatmen
The 20 reached the hospitv at ®
Friday night, rested for ad/ and
then were asked if fbey
ready to meet the press. T said
they were anxious for the/ ance -
Four refused bitterly. J res *
were too ill or just did want
any publicity. /
The 10 interviewed we/P roU^“ l
into a small auditoritn l^ 0
two. The first pair weifP*- Ver *
non L. Warren, 22, Stpuis, and
pfc. Roger Herndon, / Jackson '
j Warren and Hernd/ said
they felt they had a
deal” in being l^ and P oSSlble
Communist sympatr[ s -
Herndon, whose#” 4 a !f m was
amputated by the/ o®®® 0 ®®® because
of a machine*gunr und r S ce > ved
at the time of ni in Nov
ember, 1950, s/ he fodnd n0
reason to accepJ“unut indoc
trination. / . .
‘‘They shower 15 the 1,654 th6y
had,” he said/* fld * 4 was noth *
ine ” /
And H ernd/f id - if hi * loss of
an arm in the way,
he would bfay 40 * o . ba ? k 40
Korea “for/ otber crack at
Ppd ” /
rn! Tarr/L- Ball. 21. Bellbum,
w v a l “This Red label
'.’.iel like criminals. We
Jpletely innocent.” And,
after a P ause - he added ’
npvpr p/ heard the term ‘brain
wash’ /re I gpt back home.”
Som J the staff officers at the
hospit7 £< * med as mmtantly con *
fused / the situation as the men
themf es - ..
*.j fti't know where this idea
star/” sa * d one Army doctor,
“bu/ er ®'s one thing for sure—
we>/not running a damned laun
dr(Jt here." .
Ither officer, who asked—
ujiis fellow staff member —that
Hfame be withheld, said, “there
h/been a big fouiup somewhere
Jg the line."
jbl. Robert H. Hickox, 23, Syra-
Je, N. Y., who was serving with
• 1 65th Engineers when captured
tv. fc7, 1950, said he considered
fe suggestion he or any other
lemter of the group was Red
[intei “an insult."
f “It lidn’t make homecoming any
Jetted’ he said.
| Cpl 4 Richard. 0. Morrison. 22,
fcurli*ton. La.,' sud his reaction
same as Hickox—“insult- <
A corporal from Ok-1
lhon City. Okla.—Marvin L. j
Browjhsaid the Communists had
fbrcoium to back up Red charges !
of U|7 germ warfare in Korea i
undcgiain of death.
Brfn. who lost his right arm
•Renting wounded and captured j
on sight patrol March 5. 1952, j
said Chinese officer told him he
wout be shot unless he admitted 1
kno#dge of germ warfare-but
Brel hastened to add he felt
the! was no basis for a belief
an#f the repatriated prisoners i
haf succumbed to Communist
pr<*ganda.
B Sgt, Walter McCollum, 34,
Laj Charles. La . said his ordeal
in hands •ncluded a forced
jn|h to Commun.st Prison Camp
K<| at We won, North Korea. On
thanarch, he said, he suffered
• he of froien feet. Despite his
exforme. he said, he intends to
repo in the Arniy.
| Sgt. Hubert W. Shaw. 44.
V#uver. Wash,, saw he didn't
evibeiieve the Communists when
thf told hun be was to be sent
Paul E. Clements, 24, ln
diapoli>. said on several occs-1
•It prisoners of war were made
totand tor nours in the camp
wde he was held The POWs,
Clients said were told that only
tfe who signed jeace petitions
m similar Communist papers
aid_ be permuted to leave.
i Mast* said be ki ew of no
I ere in tus camp and that aa
j is he beatd, none of those who
l ed received icy better treat
sL William R. Hinkle. 22.
<tonv Ble. W, Va . ended his
ittJfw with a brief voluntary
A&aent:
Id like to make one thing
Monday, HI '***
Nat/ Pakistan
As /laretaker
OIPOW Group
eutral Nation
fkayed By Allies
to Take Reluctant
/Red War Prisoners
PANMUNJOM The Allies
Iminated Pakistan today as a
eutral caretaker for war prison-
Tfrs who won’t go home, and
warned the apparently surprised
feeds: Time is “fast running out”
in the Korean truce talks.
Although Pakistan was one of
the four Asian nations listed by
the Reds as acceptable neutrals,
tne Communists sat mum.
Without even mentioning the
Allied choice the Reds asked and
received a recess until 11 a. m.
tomorrow, possibly to consult
higher Red officials.
Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison
Jr., chief U. N. delegate, nomi
nated Pakistan at the beginning of
the meeting and then told the
Reds:
“We are obliged to tell you once
again that we will not engage in
protracted and fruitless discussion
during the current negotiations,”
which began April 25.
The Communists Saturday sug
gested Pakistan, Burma, India and
Indonesia as acceptable hosts for
the 48,000 Red prisoners who won’t
go home.
Pakistan was the third nation
nominated by the United Nations.
First was Switzerland, which the
Reds opposed. Then Sweden. The
Communists insisted on an Asian
nation. They want the reluctant
POWs shipped to the neutral
country for screening after an
armistice is agreed upon. The
Allies want a neutral country to
assume control of them in Korea.
Harrison told reporters:
“The current negotiations are
really no different from last sum
mer.” The Allies broke off the
meetings Oct. 8 when the Reds
kept stalling on the prisoner ex
change question.
Harrison said no time limit has
been set for the armistice talks,
but twice inside the conference hut
he delivered an implied warning
that he would end the talks again
ii the Reds did not begin to pro
duce.
Harrison reminded the Reds that
they mentioned Burma, Indonesia,
Pakistan and India as suitable
Asian neutrals.
He said that unless they had
named these four for propaganda
purposes, “we must assume that
you consider each of the four”
to be neutral, and competent and
therefore suitable.
“In our sincere effort achieve
an agreement ... we are pre
pared to meet you halfway in the
matter of a neutral nation. Al
though we have previously nomin
ated Switzerland and Sweden we
are now prepared to nominate one
of the four countries which you
have named. We now nominate
Pakistan, an Asian nation both
neutral and competent, and oe of
the four whose suitability you ob
viously implied in your question
to us. Now expect you to dem
onstrate your sincerity by agree
ing to have this power serve as
custodial neutral.
“Based on your own statements,
we expect that our nomination will
be quite acceptable to you and
will result in quick agreement on
this issue. If so, then this will
have been the first indication since
these talks began that there may
be some justification in our agree
ment to meet with you again. We
hope that this indication may not
be nuUified by subsequent nego
tiations.”
North Korean Gen. Nam 11, chief
Red delegate, answered with a
statement apparently prepared hi
advance. He insisted that the first
order of business should be an
agreement that unwilling prisoners
should be transported physically to
a neutral nation.
Nam a statement gave no clue
to the reason the Communists had
requested and received a one-day
recess over the week end.
His argument was largely s re
peat of what he had said before.
Harrison told Nob*:
“You have again failed to name
your candidate tor the neutral na
tion. After all tha effort our side
hss msde to reach an equitable
compromise in this Issue, oven
nominating one of the Asian states
indicated by you as suitable, the
continued evasion by your side caa
only be considered as inspired by
motives other than those of reach
ing an equitable agreement.
“Time in this dscuaaion Is fast
perfectly clear—l ib eat Con
tnunut or ited.*'
The motion picture fioodlithts
west out. The flesh bulbs napped
popping—ted the mi hi fee
maroon hospital robes sad vfefce
canvas clog* ealed heck to At
loaf white wares.
THE KEY WEST CITIZEN
Today’s Action
In Tallahassee
TALLAHASSEE W-Gov. Mc-
Carty, who had to pass President
Eisenhower’s conference with the
nation’s governors because of ill
ness, has asked for a complete
record of the talks.
His administrative assistant,
Warren Blackmon, said the gov
ernor sent no representative to the
President’s briefing session on na
tional affairs because there was
no indication substitutes would be
acceptable.
However, Blackmon said, the
governor has asked Florida’s two
senators to “reassure the Presi
dent of his continuing interest and
ask for a complete record of the
conference so he can give it bis
full attention.”
TALLAHASSEE —Sponsors of
the administration bill to take
some of the profits away from
Florida dog race tracks today got
the House to hold up its consid
eration for 24 hours.
Rep. Okell, Dade County, oppos
ing delay, said “I think they don’t
feel their dog track bill has any
chance of passing this .morning
and they .want a little time to‘do
some more canvassing.
However, Speaker Bryant, one
of the co-sponsors of the measure,
said “The final vote will prove
he’s wrong.” Other sponsors of the
bill said the delay was requested
by members of a small county
bloc who held a caucus Sunday
night on the measure.
There was speculation that sup
porters feared week-end work
against the bill had cast in doubt
their ability to get the necessary
two-thirds vote to waive the rules
and shove it through second and
third reading for final action in
a single day.
Rep. Cobb, Volusia, chairman of
the Rules Committee, asked at the
outset of today’s session for an in
formal recess to permit his- group
to meet and consider a motion
to hold off debate on the bill.
He said there appears to be
“some genuine confusion” on the
bill. He recalled that 20 House
members didn’t vote Friday when
the House decided to put it on the
special order calendar for top pri
ority consideration today.*
Okell opposed the House recess
to let the Rules committee meet
and bring in anew recommenda
tion setting the debate for Tues
day Instead of today.
He called it “a stalling motion.”
“I see no reason to let the Rules
Committee revise the strategy of
how to get the dog track bill
passed. They chose their strategy.
Now let them stick with it,” he
declared.
Burwell, speaking after the vote,
denied he had spoken for 22 min
utes.
TALLAHASSEE (fwHouse mem
bers came to the aid of freshman
Rep. Zelmenovitz of Okeechobee
County today, yanked a bill to put
the proposed South Florida mental
hospital in his county from com
mittee and put it on the calendar.
Rep. Burwell of Broward County
said his honesty and integrity
were attacked in the process and
told the house he thought the ac
tion was “stooping pretty low.”
Zelmenovitz' bill to put the hos
pital in Okeechobee County was
rejected by Burweli’s Committee
on State Institutions. However, the
same measure was passed by the
Senate and sent over to the House.
Burwell’s Committee favored a
bill which would in effect give
Burwell's county the hospital.
When it reached the House to
day, Zelmenovitz asked Speaker
Bryant to send it to some com
mittee other than Burwell's.
Rising in support of Zelmeno
vitx. Rep. Elliott of Palm Beach
County said he didn’t believe the
Okeechobee lawmaker got “fair
consideration” to Burwell’s com
mittee. He said Zelmenovitz was
allowed to speak only five min
utes on his bill when it came be
fore the Committee.
On the other hand, said Elliott.
Burwell spoke few 22 minutes on
his own bill which would author
ize the cabinet to select a loca
tion for the hospital anywhere hi
Dade. Broward or Palm Beach
Counties.
After bearing EPiott. the House
verted 58 to 15 in favor of a mo
tion by Rep. Darby of Escambia
County to put the Senate bill di
rectly on the calendar without
sending it to any committee.
runnint out Ate you prepared to
accept Pakistan as the neutral na
tion? If not. we have no further
issue to discuss with you.”
MIST TH STARS!
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WANTED
THE FOLKS OF KEY WEST AND OTHER CITIES
TO HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SEE
NOT ONE
BUT
All Four of the Leading Hollywood -
STARS IN PERSON
TERRY NOORE
ROE WAGNER
GILBERT ROLAND
J. CARROLL NAISH
Plus The Chance To Contribute To
Key West Charities
These 20th Century Fox Players
Will Be Present at the
Key West Kennel Club's
\
Race Track On Friday, May 8
THE OWNERS OP THE KENNEL CLUB WILL HAVE A “KEY WIST CHARITY
NIGHT” AT DOG TRACK. NET PROCEEDS WILL BE DIVIDED AMONG THE VARI
OUS NEEDY CHARITIES OP KEY WEST. SINCE THE MOVIE STARS ARB GIVING
SO GRACIOUSLY OF THEIR TIME, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT KEY WEST RESI
DENTS AND THOSE OP SURROUNDING AREAS WILL GO OUT TO THE TRACK ONI
May B—Charity Night With
20th Century Fox Feature Race
NOTE TO THE PUBLIC; SO MANY SEATS AND SO MUCH SPACE IS AVAILABLE
THAT ALL WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THESE HOLLYWOOD
STARS AS CLOSELY AS THEY DO THEIR OWN NIIOH*
BORS EVERY DAY.
Adm.: Only 25c (Plus Tax) Adm.: Only 25c (Plus Tax)
SEE THE "TWELVE NILE REEF" STABS