information. This phase of training also includes instruction as to his rights under the Geneva Conventions. The third training phase is designed for specially selected units and individuals. These special operations are used to bring the aid and support of the United States Government to servicemen even while in custody of the Communists. These are not mere plans which are under study. This training program has been in actual operation for nearly a year. It is now part and parcel of the normal training systems of the services. It is emphasized in realistic field exercises and in maneuvers. It is continuous, coordinated and now closely supervised. We recognize that patriotic attitudes and character are largely formed prior to service entrance. In conjunction with other departments and agencies of the Government, assisted by representatives from labor, industry, and patriotic organizations, we are cooperating in extending our training in character and patriotism into the home, church, and school prior to entry into the service. We have continued in existence the Defense Advisory Committee which continuously audits progress in all phases of our program. They have reconvened only this month and reviewed in detail service operations and training over the past year. In addition, members have made personal field inspection. In their most recent assessment the Chairman called to the attention of the Secretary of Defense the commendable progress made to date. In the event of another war-a thermonuclear war-the doorstep may become our Nation's first line of defense. Under such circumstances the Serviceman's Code of Conduct may well serve every American citizen. I would like to emphasize that military training and education is not the complete solution. When our military personnel were captured in Korea they were removed from the field of military warfare. Under Communist control, however, they were immediately projected into the field of ideological and propaganda warfare. If you examine closely the Communist utilization of prisoners of war in ideological and propaganda warfare and if you examine the Communist line of argumentation used in indoctrination, you will see that on the one hand they managed to hide the terrible cost in human life and misery of their own subjects that the Communist regimes willingly pay for each and every accomplishment. Slave labor for economic gain of the state finds its military counterpart in the use of "human sea" tactics through which they willingly accept the most frightful losses in order to take a tactical military objective. On the other hand, in their "hate America" campaign and in their efforts to cause dissension among Americans, they cleverly manage to distort out of all balance the small inconsistencies of the American way of life, thereby hiding its great accomplishments. ! Not only among the military, but also among the American people as a whole, there is a lesson to be learned here. This one-sided line of argumentation leads us to various forms of self-criticism and to the guilt complex which some of our people displayed. To state it somewhat differently, we work ourselves into a position where we attempt to form American performance to match Communist promise. Inevitably this course becomes increasingly unprofitable. 79951-56-14 I am very much gratified to note that the committee's hearings have managed to bring out the reprehensible and illegal nature of the deliberately applied techniques which the Communists used on our prisoners of war. To the degree that the responsibility for these uncivilized activities should be attached to the Communist regimes of China and North Korea, we should make sure that this is not forgotten. The Communist-bloc nations stipulated certain reservations when they signed the Geneva Conventions on Prisoners of War. Through this subterfuge they have kept the door open for future classification of prisoners as "war criminals" when it suits their purposes. To this day, they have refused to admit their guilt for widespread violations of these conventions. As I mentioned earlier, we may expect more of this. We may expect them to use prisoners as hostages for bargaining and blackmail, and as mouthpieces and transmission belts for harmful propaganda whenever it is possible for them to do so. To the extent that our military personnel were not prepared for this type of trickery and treachery, we intend to see to it that they are prepared to cope with it in the future. That is my statement. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, General. I think it is very gratifying to the people of this country to know that a program is already activated and in effect and that this review of it made recently by the committee finds that it is operating with a considerable measure of success. I don't know just what can be done. I wouldn't know the answer or the solution. Those of you who are trained in this area should certainly be complimented for doing everything you can to meet this problem in the future. I can hardly conceive of punishing someone after he is repatriated for maybe yielding under torture. I think they should be punished where they seemingly do it voluntarily in a spirit or desire to benefit and get some advantage for themselves over their fellow prisoners, but where a man is tortured, to the point he has to yield on some of these things to prevent pain and severe suffering, I don't know what I would do. I would hate to punish someone for doing something that under some circumstances I might do myself. I think, too, that a program acquainting military personnel with what they might expect if they become the captives of the Communist enemy would fortify them to meet those difficult situations much better than if they are not trained or not informed or prepared more or less by knowing what has happened to others and anticipating what they can expect if they are captured. Is there anything further, Counsel ? Mr. KENNEDY. I was wondering, General Erskine, if the story of the violations of the Geneva Convention and the mistreatment of at least a good portion of the troops has been told adequately, do you think, throughout the world? Have you any suggestions as to what might be done in that area? General ERSKINE. I think we should do everything possible to bring the truth of this matter to the attention of the public and to the attention of the people of the world. I feel that it might be worth while if we could have this Code of Conduct which has been accepted by the Defense Department for our servicemen brought before the UN in some way, to have it recognized there as a Code of Conduct at least by our allies. That would give us some propaganda advantage, I think, to show that we have this and this is where we stand in the future. I was surprised to learn myself that we had never had a formal code adopted for our people in military service until after this Korean session when the President came out with his recent Executive order. I had always been under the impression, I had been instructed what to do, and so forth and so on, but I didn't realize that we had no accepted and approved code of conduct. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, General Erskine. The CHAIRMAN. We certainly appreciate your comments. I think we have had an excellent summation in your presentation as well as in the testimony of other military personnel who have appeared before us. I may say to the two of you who testified that I will have the counsel send you an affidavit which you may sign and return for the record stating that the evidence you have given is true. Thank you very much. The committee is in recess. I, Gen. Graves Erskine (retired), do hereby certify that all of the testimony given by me on Wednesday, June 27, 1956, before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in connection with "Communist interrogation, indoctrination and exploitation of American civilian and military prisoners" is true and correct. Subscribed and sworn before me this 29th day of June, 1956. My commission expires December 29, 1959. GRAVES R. ERSKINE. E. W. HERL. (Whereupon, at 2:40 p. m. the committee was recessed subject to call.) APPENDIX EXHIBITS EXHIBIT No. 15 [International Red Cross stamp here] This form will serve to give international organizations information with which to provide protection to prisoners in the custody of the Peoples Government of China. Remarks: Note: Write your good impressions of the Chinese Volunteers and how they treated you when you were captured. Sign your name here.. (Exhibits Nos. 16 and 17 are on file with Committee.) 201 |