Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Korea, Volume XV, Part 1

795.00/4–352: Telegram

The Commander in Chief, United Nations Command (Ridgway) to the Department of the Army

top secret
operational immediate

Tokyo, April 16, 1952—5:46 p.m.

CX 67005. 1. At the completion of Opn Scatter it will be nec to reclassify those South Korean, North Korean, and Chinese POWs refusing to return to enemy control. Our present planned procedure is to reclassify and segregate:

a. South Korean POWs refusing return to enemy control as “civilian internees.”

b. North Korean and Chinese POWs refusing return to enemy control as “displaced persons in protective custody of the United Nations Command.”

2. CGArEight would be instructed to treat “displaced persons in protective custody of United Nations Command” in accordance with the humanitarian principles of the 1949 Geneva Prisoner of War Conventions. The administration of civilian internees would continue to be in accordance with our C 58702, Dec. 51.¹

3. Rosters of individuals reclassified in accordance with procedure outlined in Para 1 would be furnd ICRC.

4. Rqst approval of planned procedure outlined above.

1. Dated Dec. 5, 1951, not printed. (JCS files)