| Show yank rescue team cursed and wined by japs in korea allied mercy crew has an odd experience at air field CHINA an allied mercy crew which landed at keijo korea in the midst of 60 japanese soldiers was alternately cursed threatened wined and entertained before it took off ob agata again with SOO gallons of 0 japanese gasoline a member of the party said recently the mission of 22 americans and koreans landed at keljo keijo on a saturday the japanese refused to a allow them to see allied prisoners of war w ar but rather than intern thern them ga gave ve them the BOO gallons of gasoline to lo return correspondent henry R lieberman eberman Ll who accompanied the team related the story the team was led by lt col W LUIS H bird of landsdowne pa As the transport settled down on the japanese air strip high ranking japanese officers including one identified entitled id as lt gen yoshio kot gukl commander of the enemy forces in korea approached he refused the request of the americans to see allied prisoners and also refused to give the names and nationalities of we the prisoners drinks songs and ga guns the mercy team and the crew of the plane put up tor for the night because the japanese commandant was unable to get enough gasoline for the C 47 to leave immediately the japanese meantime brought up two tanks and set up trench mortars around the plane A 37 millimeter cannon covered the party during the night the japanese entertained the americans with beer sake lake and japanese songs flight officer edward mcgee of durant okla commenting on the scene said II if someone had told me two weeks ago id I 1 d be in a setup like this I 1 would have turned him over to the loco ward although the members of the team were armed with revolvers tommy guns and he hand grenades just in case of trouble capt patrick teel of new york city who was with the first ranger battalion at anzio said it 11 take just five ml minutes to make us au all dead ducks the flight to korea from sian entailed a journey of almost 1000 miles over japanese occupied territory As the plane got within miles of 0 keljo keijo the radio operator lt meredith L price of charleston W va attempted to establish contact with the japanese we are expecting you and we guarantee you sate safe conduct the japanese said when the plane landed mal maj gen junjiro mara ihara chief of staff tor for the japanese forces in korea asked col bird his mission just looking around the american officer replied that he be was in korea as the initial occupation representative to bring whatever help Is needed by allied prisoners of war and to make ake preliminary arrangements tor for future evacuation in accordance with the terms of the peace negotiations then youre you re not here to negotiate a surrender ihara asked no our mission Is purely humanitarian bird replied ihara said that the prisoners were well and were being cared for but that the party could not see them during supper that night the japanese were quite convivial after singing japanese songs one asked what Is the american air force song led by capt john wagoner of the air transport command from grand gran d island neb the americans let loose with the chorus of off we go into the wild blue yonder the japanese beamed and beat time on the table with their fingers after the americans finished th tha le japanese sang their air force song the fighting wing the next day the atmosphere become became tense again when bird asked a japanese officer to sign a note saying the mission had arrived but was refused permission to act the major wore swore and made stinging references to inferior persons shortly afterward the guard around the plane was increased the gasoline finally was poured into the big ship and the americans americana and koreans took off on the return flight |
