Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 111: Telegram
The Commander in Chief, Far East (Ridgway) to the Chief of Staff, United States Army (Collins)
Z–10111. The following is being released to press in Tokyo at once.
“The statement made to the press on 14 Nov by Col James M Hanley of the Judge Advocate Section of the 8th Army Staff in Korea concerning atrocities perpetrated by the Communists upon United Nations prisoners of war in Communist hands was made under the following circumstances.
“For more than a year officers especially assigned to investigate atrocities have been at work gathering their evidence. More than a year ago it had become evident to all concerned here that Communists’ statements concerning their strict adherence to the principles of the Geneva Convention in the treatment of prisoners of war in their custody were false. Throughout the compilation of this evidence, whenever it was finally determined that the death of a soldier had actually occurred and after his body has been identified, a report was made in each case to the next of kin, regardless of the manner in which death occurred, in accordance with the normal casualty reporting processes. It had been concluded some months ago, that at an appropriate time when the accumulated evidence warranted and when due coordination had been effected with proper authorities in Washington, this evidence should be made public. That this coordination was not properly effected at the time of this release is of utmost regret to this headquarters.
“All concerned share with me in deploring the anguish which this most regrettable incident has inflicted upon the relatives and friends of members of the United Nations Command still carried on our casualty lists as missing in action. Relatives and friends of these gallant men, who met their still undetermined fate in the performance of their duty to God and country, have had the heartfelt sympathy of every member of this command. We, their comrades, who shared and so knew personally the conditions under which they fought, would be the last ones on earth to wish to add to the grief of their families.
“Yet, notwithstanding this feeling of deep regret over what has [Page 1146] occurred, it may perhaps be well to note with deep reverence that in his inscrutable way God chose to bring home to our people and to the conscience of the world the moral principles of the leaders of the forces against which we fight in Korea.
“The shocking impact of the brutality which was been revealed should have been no surprise to the American people. The basic facts had long been known. As far back as October 1950, a movie film showing the recovered bodies of some 26 of our soldiers were shown to a group of distinguished American citizens, the mayors of 200 of our cities. This film, which I personally selected, and with the approval of proper authority exhibited in Washington, showed the bodies of these soldiers, each shot in the head and with their hands still tied behind their back, as they had been at the moment of execution.
“It may well be that in no other way could all lingering doubts be dispelled from the minds of our people as to the methods which the leaders of Communism are willing to use, and actually do use, in their efforts to destroy free peoples and the principles for which they stand.
“The publication of the information in Colonel Hanley’s statement had, of course, no connection whatever with the current armistice negotiations.
“M. B. Ridgway, General, United States Army, Commander In Chief, United Nations Command.”1
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On November 20, General Ridgway forwarded a further report to the Department of the Army in his telegram C–57640, which read in part as follows:
↩“Statement released Pusan by Col Hanley, Chief, War Crimes Section, Eighth Army, to press representatives at special press conference 14 Nov. Figures based on case records War Crimes Section gathered from eye witnesses, UN escapees, enemy POW, survivors, and various intelligence reports. War Crimes Section records maintained since 25 Jun 50 now contain 908 reports. Of these, 40 cases have been dropped as unwarranted; 868 cases are under active and continuing investigation. These cases contain reports which, if all are confirmed, would establish a total of 6,332 UN military personnel killed as a result of atrocities, of whom 6,202 are indicated as US military personnel. There are included in this total both unconfirmed estimates of number involved and cases where the weight of evidence is considered conclusive as to number of victims. Mere addition therefore does not achieve the accuracy implied. A tabulation of those cases involving known recovered dead, where evidence clearly indicates they were victims of atrocity killings, follows: US military identified 259, unidentified 106; BCO military identified 4, unidentified 1; Belgian military identified 4, unidentified 1; total identified 267, total unidentified 108. The total of 259 identified US victims consists of 243 US Army, 10 USMC, and 6 USAF.” (Black Book, Tab 117)