Editorial Note
The Senior Liaison Group met again on April 8 and General Lee Sang Cho, the chief Communist liaison officer, announced that a total of 450 Korean and 150 non-Korean sick and wounded prisoners would be repatriated to the United Nations Command. Admiral John C. Daniel, the senior liaison officer for the United Nations Command, characterized this figure as “incredibly small” and urged the Communists to be more liberal in their interpretation of sick and wounded. Daniel then informed his opposite that the United Nations Command intended to transfer 700 Chinese and 5,100 Koreans.
During the next three days the details of Operation LITTLE SWITCH, as the exchange of sick and wounded was called by the United Nations Command, were worked out. On April 11 an agreement was signed which completed the arrangements and set April 20 as the date for the beginning of the exchange.
Complete copies of telegrams to the JCS transmitting the record of these liaison meetings as well as supporting telegrams can be found in Matthews files, lot 53 D 413. For the record of the meetings of April 6 through 9, some related documents, and the text of the agreement of April 11, see the Department of State Bulletin, April 20, 1953, pages 570–576. See also, Hermes, Truce Tent and Fighting Front, pages 414415.