Editorial Note
At the order of General Hull (see his letters to General Thimayya of the NNRC of January 16 and January 19, 1954, Department of State Bulletin, January 25, 1954, pages 115–116 and ibid., February 1, 1954, page 154, respectively) the approximately 22,000 prisoners of war who had been returned to the custody of the UNC (see Thimayya’s letter to Hull, January 18, ibid., pages 153–154) became civilians as of January 23, 1954. At the 181st meeting of the National Security Council, Allen Dulles emphasized that this release of prisoners “constituted one of the greatest psychological victories so far achieved by the free world against Communism. Conversely, it amounted to a great loss of face for the Communists, particularly in light of their threats and warnings prior to the event.” (Memorandum of discussion at the 181st meeting of the NSC, January 21, 1954; Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file)