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AD-A283 389 POW/MIA Issues , U Volume 1, The Korean War D~ Paul M. Cole LET ~AUG15.1991 .''Sý94-2564I NationalDefens Res-ch itut VoTrean War 94ReeTrhIs1iue2- 1... 65-,(cid:127)-.D,,.,(cid:127). l II The research described in this report was sponsored by the i (cid:127)Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The research was conducted in the National Defense Research Institute, * RAND's federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff, Contract No. MDA903-90-C-0004. Library of Congress Cataloging In Publicatlon Data Cole, Paul M. POW/MIA Issues / Paul M. Cole. p. cm. "Prepared for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy." "MR-35 1/I-USDP." Includes bibliographical references. Contents: v. 1. The Korean War - v. 2. World War and early Cold War. ISBN 0-8330-1482-X (v. 1). -ISBN 0-8330-1487-0 (v. 2) 1. Prisoners of war-United States. 2. World War, 1939- 1945 -Missing in action-United States. 3. Korean War, 1950-1953 -Missing in action-United States. 4. Cold War. I. United States. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. II. Title. UB803.C65 1994 940.54^72-dc20 93-40829 CIP RAND is a nonprofit institution that seeks to improve public policy through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of its research sponsors. Published 1994 by RAND 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 To obtain information about RAND studies or to order documents, call Distribution Services, (310) 451-7002 I ___m ___mmmm _ mmm .. m_ ____I__.I.__m__m__ POW/MIA Issues Volume 1, The Korean War Paul M. Cole Preparedfort he Under Secretary of Defense for Policy NationalD efense Research Institute j Approved for public release; distributo unlimited PREFACE This report consists of three volumes. Volume 1 addresses American prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action cases (MIA) who were not repatriated following the Korean War, with particular emphasis on whether any American servicemen were transferred to USSR territory during the war. Volume 2 examines three issues: First, it examines whether American servicemen liberated by Soviet forces from Nazi German POW camps in the European theater of operations in World War II were not repatriated. Second, it examines whether American aircrews in the Far East and European theaters were detained in USSR territory. Third, early Cold War incidents are examined to determine whether archive materials indicate that American servicemen and civilians were held alive in USSR territory. Volume 3, an appendix volume, contains a number of POW rosters, primary source documents, and other lists. It is intended to com- plement Volumes 1 and 2. Throughout Volumes 1 and 2, the evolution of U.S. POW/MIA policy is documented as are U.S. government efforts to obtain a full accounting of missing American citizens. This report is documented extensively, in accordance with the guidance from the Department of Defense, so that other researchers may use it as a reference work or as a guide to sources. This report is not intended, however, to be a comprehensive history of World War II, the Cold War, or the Korean War. t "ll 7 iv POWIMIA Issues: Volume 1, The Korean War This report was prepared as a part of "The POW/MIA Issue in U.S.- North Korean Relations," a project sponsored between October 1991 and April 1993 by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Research for this report was conducted within the Interna- tional Security and Defense Strategy Program of RAND's National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center supported by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff. This report should be of interest to government officials involved in MIA/POW affairs, casualty resolution officers, family members, and others in and out of government interested in the efforts that have been made by the U.S. government to resolve POW/MIA issues. Acossilon For IflS G(cid:127)IA&I Ij DusTaIGam oSmAuBn eed 13 C Just ifioation Dis~rlhmtlon/ vi ii or _ DlatL~ " M(cid:127) ! M~l eoo :(cid:127) ~~Avs~al~ oo iI * CONTENTS Preface ......................................... iii Figures ......................................... xi Tables .................................... ....... xii Sum m ary ....................................... xv Acknowledgments ................................. xix Chapter One OVERVIEW OF THIS REPORT ..................... 1 Introduction ................................... 1 Origins and Objectives ......................... 2 Issues and Scope ............................. 3 The Evolution of U.S. POW/MIA Policy ............. 4 Official Inquiries ............................. 7 M ethodology .................................. 10 Approach ................................... 10 Primary Sources ....................... ........ 10 Spelling and Terminology ...................... 10 Structure of This Study ........................... 11 Volume 1: The Korean War ..................... 11 Volume 2: World War II and the Early Cold War ...... 11 Volume 3: Appendixes ......................... I.I Chapter Two KOREAN WAR CASUALTY STATISTICS ............... 13 POW /MIA Statistics ............................. 13 Introduction ................................ 13 Dynamic Casualty Data and Terminology ........... 13 Data ...................................... 13 .V......... vi POW/MIA Issues: Volume 1,The Korean War Terminology ................................ 15 Official Estimates of U.S. BNR Cases ............... 20 Baseline for This Report ........................ 22 Post-Capture Killed, Body Not Recovered (PCK(BNR)).. 23 Death During Transport to POW Camps ............ 27 Location of Permanent POW Camps ............... 32 POW Camp Deaths, July 1951 to July 1953 ........... 34 U.S. Air Force POW/MIAs ........................ 37 Chapter Three EFFORTS TO RECOVER AND ACCOUNT FOR KOREAN WAR CASUALTIES ...................... 41 Introduction .................................. 41 Efforts Before the Armistice ....................... 41 Escape and Evasion ........................... 41 Search and Rescue ............................ 43 Released Prisoners and Rescue Attempts ........... 46 Tracking and Processing KIA and KIA(BNR) Cases ...... 49 Initial Policy ................................ 49 Graves Registration Service ..................... 50 Central Identification Unit, Kokura ................ 62 Efforts After the Armistice ........................ 66 Arm istice ................................... 66 Post-War Remains Recovery Plans ................ 66 Operation Glory .............................. 68 Withheld UNC POWs ............................ 74 Little Switch ................................. 74 Big Switch .................................. 77 UNC Protests ............................... 78 Disposition of POW(BNR) Cases .................. 85 Voluntary Non-Repatriates ....................... 86 Returned or Exchanged Captured American Personnel (RECAP-K) ................................ 88 Nongovernmental Efforts Other Than the UN .......... 92 UNCMAC Efforts to Obtain a Full Accounting .......... 93 Chapter Four RESEARCH PARAMETERS REGARDING U.S. POW/MIAs IN THE USSR ................................. 95 Introduction .................................. 95 Research Environment in Moscow .................. 95 Contents vii Archives and Access in the Post-Soviet Era .......... 95 Commercial Sale of Archive Material .............. 98 Research Focus of This Study ...................... 99 The GULAG System ............................. 99 Background ................................. 99 GULAG Administration ........................ 102 SharashkaC amp System, 1930-1953 ............... 104 SharashkaA dministration ...................... 107 Foreign POWs in the SharashkaC amp System ....... 108 MVD POW and Internee Assessment Report ......... 109 Soviet Forces in the Korean War .................... 114 Soviet Air Force .............................. 114 Anti-Aircraft Units ............................ 119 Soviet Motivations for Interrogating U.S. POWs ....... 120 U.S. Air Force POW/MIAs in Soviet Records ........... 125 Chapter Five THE MOVEMENT OF U.S. POWs TO THE USSR ........ 127 Introduction ..... ............................ 127 Soviet Intelligence Organs Active in Korea ............ 127 Soviet Interrogation of American POWs ............ 130 The Organization of the Interrogations ............. 140 Interrogation Protocols ........................ 146 Transporting U.S. POWIMIAs to the USSR ............ 152 Background ................................. 152 Soviet Motivations ............................ 153 Requirements and Political Authorization ........... 155 Soviet Efforts to Capture F-86 Aircraft and Pilots ...... 158 Transport Capabilities and Methods ............... 172 Preliminary Identification of a U.S. POW/MIA Transported to the USSR ..................... 176 African-American POWs ........................ 178 Estimated Number of U.S. POWIMIAs Transported to the USSR .................................... 179 BNR Cases That Could Not Have Been Transported to USSR .................................... 179 Maximum of 2,195 BNR Cases ................... 181 Estimate of Transfer Cases Derived by Researchers and Officials .................................. 181 U.S. Government's Position on Transfer of American POW/MIAs to USSR ......................... 184 viii POWIMIA Issues: Volume 1, The Korean War Chapter Six AMERICANS IN THE PRC ........................ 187 Introduction .................................. 187 Transfer and Return from the PRC .................. 187 Background ................................. 187 Chinese Motivations .......................... 188 Brainwashing ................................ 188 Tactical-Technical Information .................. 189 UNC POWiMIAs in the PRC ....................... 195 Routine Transfer and Return .................... 195 Transport Methods ........................... 196 Camps in China .............................. 197 American Political Prisoners in the PRC .............. 198 Background ................................. 198 Chinese Foreign Policy Objectives ................ 199 Direct Negotiations with the United States .......... 200 Research Facilities ............................ 201 Air Force Hostages ............................ 201 U.S. Efforts to Free the Political Prisoners ............. 203 Ambassadorial Talks .......................... 217 Additional Reports of Americans in the PRC ......... 219 Chapter Seven THE UNCMAC LISTS ............................ 221 Korean War MIA/POW(BNR) Cases ................. 221 Introduction ................................ 221 Background ................................. 221 UNCMAC's POW Resolution Efforts ............... 223 The 450 List ................................. 231 Reductions from 450 to 389 ..................... 232 Verifying the 389 List ............................ 237 Chapter Eight LIVE SIGHTINGS, RETURNED REMAINS, AND REMAINS IN NORTH KOREA ............................. 241 Introduction .................................. 241 Live Sightings ................................. 241 American Remains in North Korea .................. 243 Total Possible Remains ........................ 243 American Graves in North Korean Territory............ 244 Contents ix Location of Graves ............................ 244 Unrecovered Graves ........................... 245 Remains Delivered by North Korea ................. 248 Background ................................. 248 Human Remains Obtained from North Korea in 1954 248 Human Remains Obtained from North Korea in the 1990s .................................... 251 Background ................................. 251 Transfer Procedure and North Korean Quantity Claim s ................................... 251 Evaluated Number of Individuals ................. 255 Condition of Remains ......................... 255 Post Mortem Damage ......................... 256 Incoherent Geographic Record ................... 256 Incompatible Age Distribution ................... 260 Alleged Storage Sites for Human Remains in North Korea ................................... 261 Prospects for Identification ..................... 264 Remains Identified in 1982 and 1987 ............... 265 Conclusions on Recovered Human Remains ......... 267 North Korea's Remains Strategy .................... 268 Background ................................. 268 Kim I1S ung's Assessment ....................... 268 North Korea's Assessment of U.S. Interests .......... 271 Assessment of North Korea's Remains Policy ........ 273 Recommendations for U.S. Policy Toward North Korea .. 274 Scope of Recommendations ..................... 274 Define the Contemporary Task ................... 274 Recover and Identify Remains ................... 274 A Larger Warehouse ........................... 275 Refer to the 8,140 List as a BNR List ................ 275 Refuse to Accept Curated Human Remains .......... 275 MIA/POW(BNR), "Unknown Soldiers," and Believed to Be (BTB) ................................. 276 Joint Recovery Efforts in the DMZ ................. 276 Explore the Idea of a Massive Payoff to North Korea ... 277 Take a More Active Explanation Role with Families .... 277 Recommendations for Remains Recovery Efforts ....... 278 Focus on Unrecovered Graves ................... 278 Recover Isolated Graves ........................ 278 -.