Re: History questions

[Ed Evanhoe <ede@oio.net>]

>YS,

> >>1) A Korean American, who joined NKPA, was assigned to interpret for Gen.
>Dean while in captivity. This man was supposedly taken POW (?).  Who was he
>and what happened to him?<<

The man's name was LEE KYU HYUN.  He did not "join" the NKPA voluntarily. He
was drafted into the NKPA in the summer1949 while accompanying his father 
who went to P'yongyang to visit relatives.  Lee was more of an 
houseboy/interpreter than a full time interpreter.  He also was, for all 
intents, as much a prisoner as Dean since the North Korean's didn't trust 
him.  In early October, Gen. Dean was moved north from P'yongyang via a 
captured U.S. Dodge 3/4-ton ambulance.  Lee went with him.  This took place 
after dark but I forgot the date but think it was around the 13th.   The 
ambulance drove off the road a few miles north of P'yongyang and 
overturned.  Dean was slightly injured in this wreck.  Lee escaped during 
the confusion and hid until American forces took P'yongyang, then turned 
himself into them, claiming to be an American (which he was) and had been 
General Dean's interpreter.   Although interrogators doubted this claim, 
they separated him from the general POW population (isolation.)  A few days 
later, Col. Willian A. Coulter, who was on 8th Army Staff and had been 
Dean's roommate at West Point, went and interviewed Lee in detail.  Lee 
provided enough details which would have only been known to someone who had 
been in close contact with Dean (including describing scars) to convince 
Coulter Lee had indeed been with Dean.  While most at 8th Army Headquarters 
didn't believe Lee's account,  Coulter's  belief was enough to have Lee 
moved to Pusan and put in isolation.  In late 1951, Lee's American birth 
and citizenship was confirmed but the question remained as to whether he 
had voluntarily joined the NKPA (thus violating U.S. Law) or had been 
forcibly drafted. There also was the fact the U.S. that if Lee's account 
was true, the U.S. didn't want the North Koreans to know we knew Dean was 
alive so Lee was kept under guard at Pusan until after the war was 
over.  When Dean was released, he confirmed what Lee had said. At this 
point very sketchy information indicates Lee was taken to the U.S. and 
released.   I don't know for sure this happened but think this is probably true

> >>2) An Afro-American US Army Sgt defected and drove trucks for CCF.  Any 
> info
>on this man?<<

Nothing on this man in particular but POW debriefs indicate the CCF took a 
number of low-ranking captured American drivers and mechanics (of all 
ethnic groups) and put them to work fixing and driving captured U.S. 
trucks.  They also separated out low ranking heavy equipment operators, 
radio repairmen and the like.  These people were never seen after they were 
taken from the POW camps and not returned in either Big or Little 
Switch.  Indications are they were taken to China and put to work operating 
captured U.S. equipment and teaching Chinese soldiers to operate/repair 
this equipment.  This said, some of those used as drivers were seen by 
other U.S. POWs as late as spring, 1953.  Most of these men are on the 
"known to be alive after the end of hostilities" list.

Regards





>Thanks,
>
>
>ysk

Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523  Ph. 580-298-3795
Author:  DARKMOON: Eighth Army Special Operations in the Korean War
Life Member: Special Forces & Special Operations Associations
Web site:  http://www.korean-war.com