7 DECEMBER 1954 THROUGH 31 JANUARY 1955 THE B-29 CREW (THE SO-CALLED ARNOLD CREW) CONTINUES FOR THE MONTH SPENT IN A TEMPORARY CELL IN ISOLATION IN A WOMAN S CELL BLOCK DURING WHICH THE PROPAGANDA PHOTO SESSIONS WERE MADE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00499R000300110014-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 20, 2002
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: January 31, 1972
• Content Type: REPORT

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DEBRIEFING REPORT
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25X1A
DATE OF DEBRIEF 31 January 1972
SUBJECT 7 December 1954 through 31 January 1955
the B-29 crew (the so-called "Arnold
Crew") continues for the month spent
in a temporary cell in isolation in a
Woman's cell block during which the
propaganda photo sessions were made
with the Arnold Crew before their
departure.
On the-morning of 7 December the interpreter came to
cell telling him to gather all of his belongings and
prepare -to move. He was taken to another cell block in the
same section of the prison where a door wa- opened and he
walked in to a large cell. There were five Americans in
prison uniform all of whom stood up and looked at him with
surprise. They stood and stared at each other until suddenly
0
both the group of crew men and
started talking at the
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same time. Each time one would ask, "Who are you?" the others
were asking the same question at the same time. They all
laughed at their inability to get a conversation started and
finally Howard Brown, flight engineer of the crew introduced
himself and the rest of the men in the room. The crew said
that they had been on a 13-29 shot down on 9 January 1953.
.OSD HAS NO OBJECTION TO DECLASSIFICATION AND
RELEASE.
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told them that the names were familiar to him because
his Chinese cell mate had read an article about them in the
Chinese newspaper. He told them, however, that the article
said it was a C-47 dropping agents and supplies:
0
them that the article also said that three of them had been
killed when their parachutes did not open in time. This was
the first knowledge that the crew had in regards to what
happened to the three missing members. The crew said they
had been dropping propaganda leaflets in the Korean language
on five targets in Korea and they were angry about the other
Chinese allegations. Some of them thought they had been shot
down in China, others thought they had been shot down close
to the border but still in North Korea. They told him that
they had already been sentenced (as it turned out on the same
day that
had) with the enlisted men getting
four years, the officers getting six, the major eight and the
Colonel himself getting ten.
0
told them only that he and another fellow by the
were civilians who had been shot down in
Northeast China and that the two pilots with them had been
killed.
As this was happening one of the crew men at the door
spotted
being taken into the cell across the corridor
which contained the officers.
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then waved to 25X1A
each other through the openings in the door. Spirits among
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the crew were all very high. It'appeared that from the time
they arrived in Peking the crew had been kept in solitary
confinement until about May 1953. They were then put in
cells with two or three to a cell until December 1954. They
had been moved into these cells on the same day 0 was put 25X1A
with them. They therefore were elated to be together and
thought that it was a good omen.
The conversation during the first day was largely personal
data. The crew talked a lot about its mission and all were
consistent in saying that they had done nothing but drop
Korean language leaflets. They seemed to resent the fact that
Colonel Arnold was aboard and felt that their long confinement
was partially due to his presence.
This is where 0 first found out about the end of the
Korean War and about the prisoner releases. He gorged himself
on newso:E the world series, boxing results, football games
and a hundred other topics. The crew itself had received
letters from home and this made him think that he might soon
be able to write.
.The following day the group from across the hall was
brought in to the same cell. This group of ten crew members
plus
was then given a speech by the inter-
preter. They were told that the doors would remain open and
that the groups were free to visit each other. They were told
that they would be able to go to the toilet any time they
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wanted although there was to be no singing or shouting among
the group. There was only one guard at the end of the
corridor. A ping pong table was set up in the corridor and
a number of communist books and magazines were placed in
the cells. They were told they were supposed to read these
materials and discuss them but this was never enforced.
It was then announced that everybody would be allowed
to write their family once a month. They were to write only
to direct family members. They were not to discuss their
case and they were not to discuss prison conditions. They
were then told that they would be allowed to exercise every-
day. Upon the request of the crew they even received playing
cards. Packages had arrived for crew members, clothing and
other necessities were given to them but not food. They were
told that in their mail they were not allowed to request
packages.
As soon as this meeting was over 0 wrote a letter to 25X1A
his wife. However, he had put in a reference to the B-29 crew
and about one week later the letter was returned. He then
rewrote it and gave it back.
Some of the small details as to the sequences of the
gave the crew some amusement.
0
disagreed with which
says that he feels that
may, for the first few minutes, have been a little more
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The three weeks spent here with the crew were wonderful
by comparison with normal prison life. The food was of ex-
cellent quality and the quantity was unlimited.
25X1A
stuffed 25X1A
himself. He gained probably 15 pounds during this time. The
guards (whom he had never seen in his cell block) were extreme-
ly friendly and non-demanding. They even had a guard to tend
the coal stove which was in the cell. Hot water was available
on top of the stove anytime anybody wanted water for washing.
All-in-all the freedom, the good food and the conversation
made the weeks go by much too fast.
0
tried to quiz each one of the crew members as to the
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kinds of interrogation they had received. He felt that he
might well be subjected to more in the future and he wanted
to benefit by any tricks or methods used on'the B-29 crew.
His impression is that none of them had received any physical
mistreatment but that each had cooperated to a degree which
made them a little embarrassed to discuss the subject, most
of them were a bit evasive. He came away with a clear im-
pression, however, that'the solitary confinement had been
extremely difficult for all of them and that this alone had
been sufficient to loosen their tongues a little. He also
discovered that the Chinese had pitted the statements of crew
men against each other, with a fair degree of success.
The crew members conducted themselves in a much more
aggressive, cocky and arrogant manner with respect to the
guards, than
thought was wise.
feeling
that this was so much better than prison conditions had been
and could be that it was unwise "to rock the boat". However,
the crew constantly complained to the guards and staff and
interpreters about the lack of packages and mail. They were
particularly angry at their interpreter who had inferred there
would be a Christmas celebration with chicken and peanuts.
When he was unable to produce the crew screamed at him, called
him a liar and were really angry. This behavior was probably
partially due to the fact that they were together and gathering
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strength as a group and also because their treatment had been
pretty good. It was upsetting to
who thought they were 25X1A
taking a chance of spoiling a good thing.
This three week honeymoon came to an end on the morning
of 28 December 1954. The group was called together for a
meeting and the interpreter "Bugs Bunny" (so called because
of his prominent buck teeth) announced that because of the
overcrowded cells, two men were going to have to be moved and
bunked together. (It was true that with six in each of these
cells it was crowded but there were, nevertheless, empty cells
on the same block.) The group immediately assumed that two
men would move down the cell block to another cell and a
couple of men even volunteered to do so. The volunteers,
however, were ignored. It was announced that
0
would leave. This was greeted by a group moan. The
interpreter assured the group, however, that they would con-
tinue to see them and exercise with them. This turned out to
be true.
got all their belongings together and went
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to another cell block and into a cell where there were two cots.
They were sorry to leave the other men but felt that being
together was certainly going to be a great improvement. This
lasted only one hour. At the end of that hour, the interpreter
would leave for another cell.
was 25X1A
afraid that he would be 'going back to the "solitary" block.
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While in this cell, on the 9th of January, they told him
they wanted to take some photographs of him to send to his
family. They brought in a new padded suit and gave him a hair
cut (shaved all of his hair except his eyebrows) and brought
in three foot high horses for his pallet (a great improvement
because now he could sit on it). They put candy, tangerines,
apples and a book on the table and then told him to sit down
for picture taking. They did this and took several photographs.
He in return took the apples, tangerines, candy,etc. and hid
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them under his quilt believing that the guards would take
them back. Later that day, he was taken outside with the
B-29 crew for photos. Before he left he was given the same
rules about not shouting, singing, etc., and was taken out to
an area of the prison normally used for soldier's recreation
area. Here the group played volleyball and engaged in exercise,
all of which was filmed with movie cameras. That was when
first saw Colonel Arnold.
their cells.
Later that night the whole group was lined up and given
a physical examination. It was at this time (9 January 1955)
that a nurse told him that he had trachoma in one eye. They
were then taken into a mess hall where they engaged in playing
cards and ping pong for the benefit of the photographers.
Canned goods from the packages from the States were in evidence
on the tables. The whole group was then given a large Chinese
meal which was photographed. Before they had quite finished
things were removed and a meal made from the American canned
goods was put out and they ate a second meal and were photographed
again.
They were then given a big speech about the lenient treat-
ment of the Peoples Republic of China and some things were said
to the effect that "when the group got home they were to tell.
the U. S. people about this policy." Everybody's expectations
for release of course, went sky high. When they broke up to
be taken back to the cells, the group stuffed their pockets
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with all the canned goods and goodies they could reach.
In sitting down at one of the tables for the picture taking,
0
purposely moved beside Colonel Arnold. The crew had
told Arnold that he,
immediately started telling
Arnold 25 A(1
Ohould have 25X1A
not told him as much as they did. He said that he had been
beaten during interrogation.
put the two remarks 25X1A
together and deduced that the Colonel had divulged what he
knew about
beaten.
also feels that Arnold was not
knows that a number of Chinese prison authorities
were given a sentence when it was discovered that Chinese
prisoners had been, beaten in their prison.
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the Chinese concern for their image before the world in terms
of lenient treatment of prisoners would not allow them to beat
any prisoner who might go out into the world to talk about it.
I
they would not let him go to tell anybody about it.- This was
0
had any formal contact with the crew.
stayed in this same cell until approximately the
end of February 1955. He feels his stay was short because of
a couple of disciplinary infractions. The crew would occasional-
ly come into the court yard near his cell to wash and hang their
clothes, and he was caught talking with them. He was also, at
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thinks that if they actually did beat a prisoner badly
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