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보/고/서

ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 2736　21 December 1950

The following information was obtained from recovered American military personnel, who were interrogated upon their arrival in JAPAN from KOREA, by Central Interrogation Center, ATIS. Interrogation was conducted by Lt PEARCE.

Source was a truck driver in a convoy evacuating 618 wounded which was ambushed approximately 5 m NE of HAGARU by approx 1 Co of CCF. Convoy was raked with machine gun fire. CCF threatened to torture personnel in lead truck which had been captured if the entire convoy did not surrender. Ten or eleven men surrendered, but were taken up into hills and bayoneted. Source stated that the Chinese said this was for surrendering. CCF later looted the convoy.

The convoy was held for ten hours before being strafed by Marine Corsairs when the Chinese disappeared. Those who were able, including Source, escaped.

Source believes that the Chinese were doped. Before his capture he had seen dead CCF soldiers with small vials of white liquid hanging from their belts. A medical corpsman told him the vials contained dope. When enemy troops were looting the convoy, the source saw similar vials carried by them. During the ambush CCF soldiers appeared doped, but they quieted down after several hours.

Source was among twelve men captured by the CCF near HAGARU. His company was ambushed, and Captain PECKHAM, the company commander offered to accept CCF surrender. CCF officer refused and demanded that Source’s company surrender. PECKHAM offered to surrender if wounded were released. CCF officer accepted this but Source did not know if the wounded were actually released. Later prisoners were turned over to the rear echelon.

CCF segregated a US Colonel (name unknown), Capt PECKHAM, one marine lieutenant named REED, and a marine warrant officer (name unknown) from the enlisted men and they were never seen again. One marine warrant officer named DURST remained with the enlisted men.

Source was interrogated as to his name, rank and serial number by a Chinese lieutenant who spoke perfect English. The Chinese told source to call him "Frank" or "Lieutenant". This officer stated that he had been educated at the University of California. He also showed Source US positions on a map and identified the units in each location.

Four ROK’1s were also being held. Two escaped and the other two were liberated with Source by Marines on 7 Dec 50. Chinese appeared to be short on clothing and medical supplies.

Captured at KUJANG-DONG and kept overnight in a small house. CCF captors disappeared and Source was captured by another unit. He was interrogated by a NCO, who spoke very broken English, as to name and rank. Continual strafing by US Air Force infuriated Chinese.

Source was able to escape when US tanks approached the house where he was held. Capt VIEL, Source’s company commander, escaped before he did, but he appeared to be heading back into the enemy lines. Source stated that while he was held prisoner, he observed CCF personnel smoking opium.

For the Commanding Officer: