ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 2897 16 January 1951
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 at Tokyo Army Hospital by Lt. FUSCO.
Source was captured while on outpost duty with two other Americans by a North Korean patrol northwest of WONJU on 7 January 1951. They were taken to a CP where the wounds of Source were treated and where he was interrogated many times.
His first interrogation was conducted by a North Korean Lieutenant who greeted him with, “Why are you here in KOREA? Why do you kill North Koreans?”
He went on to tell Source that the United Nations were fighting a losing battle and that before long they would be completely encircled and annihilated with no possibility of reaching the evacuation port of PUSAN. The general plan was that the North Koreans would attack down the east coast, the Chinese down the central and western section and a third force composed of Chinese would land in the southwestern tip of the peninsula and push northeast to a linkup with the North Koreans. Thus the UN forces would be isolated and cut down. The next step would be to bomb TOKYO and then SAN FRANCISCO. The lieutenant after attempting to extract tactical information from Source, then ushered him along with the other 2 into another building where he was interrogated by a Caucasian General.
This Caucasian officer wore the field insignia of a two star general in the tank corps. He was introduced as “General” by the Korean lieutenant and admitted he was a General when one of the Americans candidly asked him if he was. The General’s first name was Nicolai, his last name was unknown to Source. He was about 38-40 years old, 5’7” tall weighed 145 lbs had high cheek bones, black hair, receding hairline, and did not wear glasses. He was dressed in a Russian field uniform with boots and wide belt. He could speak Russian, Korean, Japanese and English. He stated that he was in school in RUSSIA between 1941 and 1944. When one of the Americans asked him where his tanks were, the General replied that he had none because the Americans had destroyed them.
No attempts were made to indoctrinate but when the three Americans were released on 10 January they were given a message to tell their buddies to surrender and they would be sent home.
Comment: When shown photographs of 2 star Generals, including those whose first names were NIKOLAI, Source could not positively identify the one who had interrogated him. Although his description closely approximates that of GENERAL VASILIEV whose photograph was not available, but who has been reported as being in KOREA. (Refer to ATIS Report Numbers 1369 and 1841.)
For the Commanding Officer, TIS:
AURELL
