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On the morning of January
9, 1955, the Red Chinese gave us each a brand new black
padded uniform and told us that in the afternoon they would take us
out to play volleyball and have pictures taken.
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And, they added that they
were going to have a dinner party for us that evening. Again
pictures were to be
taken. |
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It was
evident that they had some ulterior motive for their "sudden and
unexpected" generosity. Why would they throw a dinner party for
a motley crew of big bad Capitalistic-Imperialistic Wall Street
Warmongers who, they claimed, had violated their territorial air space
to commit espionage, drop germs, and a whole list of other war
crimes? |
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We knew, because
they told us, that they were attempting to become a member of the
United Nations and that they were interested in negotiating for the
return of Taiwan to mainland control. We surmised that the
wily communists believed that if they could show the outside world
how well and humanely they were treating their prisoners-of-war this
might soften the outside world's opinion about them. The sad
truth is that most people, especially Americans, are inclined to
believe photographs no matter how staged and scripted they might
be.
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WEESE AND VAN VOORHIS WEREN'T AT THE "PARTY." WERE THEY
STILL IN PEKING, OR HAD THEY BEEN SPIRITED OFF TO FRIGID SIBERIA, AS
HAD SO MANY OTHER FELLOW AMERICAN COUNTRYMEN???
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