ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 2174 3 November 1950
The following report was submitted on the interrogation of American PW who escaped from the NKA, by JAPAN LOGISTICAL COMMAND.
1. LOCKE, William D, 12455A, 35th Interceptor Fighter Group.Source was captured near WAEGWAN on 17 August 1950. He stated he arrived in SEOUL on 27 August 1950, in the company of approximately 35 other prisoners of war. He was temporarily placed in charge of all prisoners of war in the camp at the time, which totalled approximately 375.
LEE (FNU), who was a South Korean working for the North Korean forces, was in charge of propaganda for the American prisoners. The prisoners of war were told that they would have to make recordings and that had better cooperate or else (they never were told what the or else was). Source was also forced to make a recording at the SOUL radio station.
On 29 August, LEE told source that on 5 August General Dean was a prisoner in PYONGYANG and in good health. Two or three days after the conversation with LEE, a North Korean Major and a Colonel said that General Dean had died and was buried on the outskirts of SEOUL. The officer prisoners of war were told that there had been approximately 2000 prisoners of war in PYONGYANG but they had been removed to MANPOJIN.
Sources stated that he was told by a North Korean 1st Lieutenant in charge of the guards, that the Russians had quit supplying them around the 1st of September. On the morning of 23 September, Source saw approximately 500 troops, twelve to fifteen miles north of the 38th parallel. He believed that they were either Manchurian or Chinese Communists as the uniforms they were wearing at that time tallied with pictures he had seen in the Stars and Stripes.
Sgt 1/cl Ellison, who was later killed, saw “Seoul City Sue” on 19 September at PYONGYANG and said that she definitely was Korean.
A North Korean Colonel who visited the camp, was asked why the North Koreans continued to commit atrocities. He replied that they had so many atrocities charged against them that a few more would not matter.
Source escaped from the North Koreans on 14 October and remained in hiding in a school house until 20 October, when he was liberated. During this time he was in hiding, three NK school teachers brought food and water and assisted him to escape detection by the North Koreans. These school teachers said that at least 75% of the people of PYONGYANG were dissatisfied with Communist rule, and that they desired a new government, also, they had actually lived better under the Japanese rule. Shortly before the entrance of the South Korean forces into PYONGYANG a great many South Korean flags were in evidence.
For the AC of S, G-2:
TRUE
