ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 4389
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS FWD 0007) 5 Nov 1950
(Ref to TIS No 1929)
| PW NAME: | MUN, Wi Saeng (文渭生) (문위생) |
| RANK: | Jr Lt (少尉) |
| AGE: | 25 |
| DUTY: | Platoon Leader |
| UNIT: | 27th Brig (635th Unit), 3d HMG Bn, 2d Inf Co |
| EDUCATION: | Middle School - 4 yr |
| OCCUPATION: | Teacher (Middle School) |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | KUMCH’ON (金川) |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 14 Oct 50 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: | KYONG SANGNAM DO, KIMHAE-GUN KARANG-MYON PONGNIM-NI #609 (慶尙南道 金海郡 賀洛面 鳳林里 六0九) |
| HOME ADDRESS: | HAMGYONG PUKTO, KYONGSONG-GUN CHOBUNG-MYON YONG JUNG-NI (咸鏡北道 鏡城郡 朱北面 龍仲里) |
| INTERROGATOR: | Cpl HATTORI (ATIS) |
PW was very cooperative and appeared to be intelligent. However, detailed information is lacking, since he was not very observant.
Information obtained seems to be fairly reliable.
Population:
| 1938 | 1945 | 1948 |
| Total Pop - 200,000 | Total pop - 350,000 | Total pop - 300,000 |
| Chinese - 60% | Chinese - 80% | |
| Japanese - 25% | White Russian - 7% | |
| White Russian - 5% | Korean - 4% | |
| Korean - 7% | Japanese - 2% | |
| Others - 3% | Others - 7% |
Immediately after World War II, in Sep 45, the Japanese were repatriated. However, a certain number of them, engineers, technicians, and skilled workers, remained. Some were forced to stay, while others remained of their own free will.
Health and Sanitation:
Until mid-1945 HARBIN was considered a fairly sanitary city with diseases and epidemics at a minimum. However during the years 1946 and 1947 health measures were not strictly followed. As a result, an epidemic of abdominal typhus claimed hundreds of lives in the summer of 1947. Since then the city has been cleared of debris, and once again immunizations were given to the populace. Twice yearly abdominal typhus, eruptive typhus, and smallpox immunization vaccines were given to all on a mandatory basis.
As late as Aug 48 there were no public clinics of hospitals, where free medical advice and services could be given to the general public. Nor were there any plans under consideration to erect future public medical center. Since the CCF took over the control of HARBIN in Sep 46, many private hospitals were confiscated to treat troops. A soldier’s family might obtain medical treatment at a reduced rate. A greater portion of medicines and medical instruments used in these private hospitals came from RUSSIA. A few medical supplies also tricked in from PEKING (北京).
Russian Military Unit:
Observation - Frequently during the period Oct 46 to Jul 48, informant observed from a relatively close distance a Russian Military Unit stationed in HARBIN.
Location - The Russian unit was located approximately 300 meters X of HARBIN main RR station in the NANKANG (南崗) district.
Area - The area, where the military unit was located, measured about 200 meters by 100 meters and was completely surrounded by a two meter barb wire fence. Numerous residential houses were located in the immediate outside the above area. A small vehicle parking zone was situated to the immediate south, or front side of the area.
Facilities - Informant could only recall that there was s hospital constructed of lumber, several (number unknown) brick structures of fairly large dimensions and numerous Russian officers’ quarter. Information was unable to estimate the dimensions of the above buildings.
Personnel - PW estimated that there were 1,000 officers, and soldiers. This number also included numerous wives and children of the officers.
Equipment - There were an unknown number of keeps parked in front of the unit area. No other equipment or weapons were observed.
Duties - PW stated that the soldiers of this unidentified unit guarded Russian owned warehouses, railroads, etc. He observed many suck sentries in and about the vicinity of HARBIN and believed that the soldiers came from the above unit.
General Information - PW observed a Russian colonel in the vicinity of the unit several times. He believed that this officer was the commanding officer of the unit.
PW heard that there were approximately 2,000 Russian in HARBIN. He did not know where the others were stationed.
ID Cards & Travel Permits:
Identification Card:
In Sep 47 CCF ordered that all races, except Chinese, would hae to carry personal identification cards in HARBIN. These cards were obtained through the city police headquarters. All personal papers and documents (birth certificate, residence certificate, etc) must be presented for thorough investigation. The whole process required about two month and numerous trips to the police headquarters.
ID cards were checked periodically on the streets, in buses or trains, and at homes, by the policeman. Anyone caught not possessing a card was immediately taken to the station to be questioned.
ID card show the possessor’s photograph, right thumb print, address, personal description, and past criminal record.
Travel Permits:
In late 1946 the recently arrived CCF enforced a law in HARBIN that travel permits would be carried by travelers of all races, including the Chinese.
A would-be traveler would first submit an application form to the local police headquarters, showing the places to be visited, reasons for travel, approx dates, and personal history. This form must first by approved by the applicant’s block head, then by district head, and finally by the city mayor. The police-headquarters usually manages the obtaining of approvals from the heads.
The approval process usually required at least 1 week to 10 days. PW asserted that for every 10 application forms submitted, at least 7 are turned down for any of the reasons.
With the final approval obtained, the form was transcribed into the travel permit. At least 2 or 3 weeks passed before the permit was finally received. The permit was valid only inn its designated localities and for a certain pre-determined period.
Travel permits were inspected on the trains and at RR stations. They must be returned to the original police headquarters.
General Information:
As in other cities in MANCHURIA, there were numerous bribery cases. A person losing his ID card could easily replace it by bribing the police officials with money. An average citizen would be rigidly investigate, receive harsh reprimands, and finally issued another card after two weeks.
A similar bribery pattern was used in obtaining a travel permit. Proper sums of money would greatly reduce the waiting period to a few day. PW did not know what would happen to those who lost their travel permits. Bribery was cost often offered by merchants, who depend on quick city to city transaction for their wealth.
Curfew Periods: HARBIN (哈爾濱), MANCHURIA, Sep 46 to Aug 48
Curfew was first instituted in HARBIN on Sep 46, when the CCF took control over the city. The curfew hours were from 2200 to 0400. Any citizen caught between these hours without a written authorization was hauled away to the police station and imprisoned for a long time. Authorization (curfew) papers were hard to obtain and were either issued by the CCF, police headquarters, or a large place of employment. Usually a fleeing curfew violator was shot by night patrols (either police or military).
Curfew hours were somewhat relaxed from Jan 48 till May 48. The new hours were from 2400 to 0400. Violators were still harshly treated.
Since Jun 48, the curfew hours were almost done away with. However, PW stated that it was not safe to roam the streets at nights, as there were numerous cases of robberies by the military patrols themselves.
For the Commanding Officer:
GERARD
