Re: History questions

["ysk" <ysk@kimsoft.com>]

Thanks, Ed:

A few more questions:

1) I remember reading a book by Dean on his captivity many years ago.
amazon.com search fails to show it.  Do you have the book's title?    Wasn't
NKPA voluntary in 1949?

2) Dean was the ranking US POW and Senior Colonel Lee Hak Gu was his
counterpart (actually there were two POWs who outranked him - Sen Col. Lee
In Chul and Maj. Gen. Park San Jin ?).  Who was the ranking ROKA POW?

3) What was the US military official policy on defectors and captured enemy
personnel?  I understand Dodd and his predecessors treated them alike.   For
example, Lee Hak Gu was a deserter but Dodd placed him with other POWs in
spite of SK's objection.   Lee apparently redetected and became the POW
spokesman. Poor Lee was shot upon repatriation.  Other deserters (how many?)
were killed by communist loyalists in POW camps.  Wise camp commanders after
Dodd segregated the POWs.

My question is: should defectors be treated as POWs?


ysk

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Evanhoe" <ede@oio.net>
To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2001 8:18 AM
Subject: Re: History questions



>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