IN PRISON IN CHINA

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28629, 4 July 1958, Page 9

IN PRISON IN CHINA

Americans Not To Be Released (Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK. July 3. Communist China said today it would not release four Americans imprisoned on spy charges until they had served their sentences, the United Press International reported from Tokyo. Two of the Americans had been given life terms. The Communist view came in a leading article today in the Peking “People’s Daily,” official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, which attacked the United States for not appointing an ambassador to carry on the talks with Communist China at Geneva, the agency said.

The article also attacked the United States State Department spokesman, Mr Lincoln White for stating that Communist China had violated a United States-China agreement to return each other's citizens who want to return home. “The question of the American convicts serving prison terms in China is a completely different matter,” said the leading article, the text of which was broadcast by the New China News Agency. “Civilians and convicts are not to be confused. Americans who violated the law in China must be punished according to the Chinese law’.

“There can be no question of their return home before their terms are up.” y The fous Americans serving prison terms in Communist China are Hugh Redmond and John Doumey (life sentences). Richard Fectteau (20 years) and Robert McCann (15 years). All were sentenced on espionage charges. The leading article, which accused the United States of arbitrary sabotage and of being equivocal, and ambiguous, also charged that the United States was holding thousands upon thousands of Chinese against their will, the agency said.