China Allows Visits To Detained Airmen

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27565, 24 January 1955, Page 9

China Allows Visits To Detained Airmen

(Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 22. Communist China has offered to allow the relatives of the 11 imprisoned American airmen to go to China to visit the men.

The United Nations yesterday issued the following official Note to correspondents to coincide with a similar announcement from Peking: “As. is being announced this morning from Peking, Premier Chou En-lai. durin ~ his talks with the Secretary-General (Mr Dag Hammarskjold) indicated that the Government of the People’s Republic of China would provide facilities for relatives to visit those United States personnel who had been convicted and those whose cases were under investigation, if they should wish to do so, and that the Red Cross Society of China would make all the arrangements necessary.” Reuter’s chief United Nations correspondent says that the offer was made to Mr Hammarskjold when he went to Peking recently to seek the men’s release. It has been passed on to the United States Government.

Alsb covered by the offer, in addition to the 11 airmen, were two American civilians, who had been imprisoned on charges of spying, and four American jet pilots. The offer is regarded in some high United Nations quarters as a possible key to the prisoners’ eventual release. It was reasoned that if the relatives decide to accept the offer and go to China the Chinese Communists might decide that the time is ripe for a grand gesture to the world by announcing their readiness to free the men, the correspondent says. It is understood that with their offer

the Chinese Communist Government gave assurances about the relatives’ safety and their freedom to leave China.

United Nations officials to answer questions about whether the relatives whould be granted passports to go to China. They said that all inquiries of that nature would have to be made from the United States Government. Neither would they attempt to evaluate the meaning of the Chinese offer. A United Nations spokesman said Mr Hammarskjold had “no doubt” about the safety of relatives wishing to visit Peking. A State Department spokesman said the Government would not “encourage’ relatives to accept the Peking offer. “Assurances” on Prisoners He added that the Secretary of State (Mr Dulles) received from Mr Hammarskjold “assurances regarding the well being of the The United Nations officials declined today to define what was meant by the term “assurances.” But it was believed to refer to something more concrete than a mere verbal assurance that the men were well. It was not known at United Nations headquarters whether the families of the men involved had been given these “assurances” yet. Mrs Philip Fecteau, mother of one of the 11 airmen, said the Defence Department notified her that she could go to Peking if she wished, but the United States could not extend protection or provide facilities for the trip. Mrs Fecteau said she would not go because of lack of'orotection and because the trip would cost her 2100 dollars.