THE TRUCE TERMS

EACH side made important concessions. The Communists suffered their first setbacK at the truce table even before the agenda was adopted in July 1951. The enemy wanted to discuss withdrawal of all "foreign" (U.N. and Chinese) troops from Korea. The U.N. negotiators refused, and the matter was left off the agenda for possible solution at a post-truce political conference. The second defeat of the Communists was the breaking down of their demand for a truce line on the 38th parallel. The third--and greatest--was their failure to win repatriation of prisoners unwilling to return to Communist control. The U.N., in turn, failed to 1) get a trustworthy inspection system (i.e., one that would tie up the Reds as tightly as the allies originally hoped); 2) win immediate liberation of anti-Communist prisoners; 3) block construction of airfields in North Korea during the armistice.

Highlights of the agreement:

Article I. "A Military Demarcation Line shall be fixed and both sides shall withdraw two .kilometers from this line so as to establish a Demilitarized Zone between the opposing forces." A truce line .and buffer zone were fixed once before, in November 1951. They had to be redrawn last week, after the ground-gaining Communist attacks of last fortnight. At truce time, 2,350 square miles of former North Korean territory are still left in U.N. hands, while the Communists get 850 square miles south of the 38th parallel--a net gain of 1,500 for the allies.

Article II A. All fighting stops promptly within twelve hours of the armistice signing. Within 72 hours, all troops and equipment of both sides are withdrawn from the 2 1/2-mile-wide buffer zone. Within ten days allied forces withdraw from islands north of the 38th parallel. Rotation of 35,000 troops a month is permitted each side, but the level of existing forces must not be raised. Aircraft, tanks, artillery pieces, etc. which are worn out, damaged or destroyed during the truce may be replaced piece-by-piece.

Article II B. A Military Armistice Commission, composed of five U.N. and five Communist officers, of which at least three from each side must be generals or admirals, is established. M.A.C. supervises the carrying out of the armistice terms, and polices the buffer zone.

Article II C. A Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission is established. It is composed of one officer each from Sweden, Switzerland, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The N.N.S.C. will have 20 neutral-nations inspection teams, and will watch five Communist "ports of entry" (Sinuiju, Chongjin, Hungnam. Manpo, Sinanju) and five U.N. centers (Inchon, Taegu, Pusan, Kangnung, Kunsan).

Article III. All prisoners desiring repatriation will be returned within 60 days. The others will be placed in custody of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (India, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia) and guarded by Indian troops only. To placate Syngman Rhee, the Indians will take custody in a part of the buffer zone near Panmunjom--which is outside Rhee's administrative area. For 90 days the Reds may send representatives to persuade the unwilling prisoners to return to their homeland. The number of such "explainers" is limited to seven for each 1,000 prisoners, and the interviews will be monitored by the N.N.R.C. and by a member of the "detaining side" (which means, in effect, that a U.S. or other trusted U.N. officer will watch every Red attempt to cajole the prisoners). The text provides that: "No force or threat of force shall be used . . . and no violence to their persons or affront to their dignity or self-respect shall be permitted ..." The fate of anti-Communist prisoners who refuse to go home will be discussed by a post-truce political conference; if the conference fails to agree on their disposition within 30 days, the prisoners will be transferred to civilian status and helped to go to "neutral nations"--which the U.N. understands to mean any destination of their choice.

Article IV. ". . . The military commanders of both sides hereby recommend to the governments of the countries concerned on both sides that, within three months after the Armistice Agreement is signed and becomes effective, a political conference of a higher level of both sides be held . . ."

Article V. "The articles and paragraphs of this Armistice Agreement shall remain in effect until expressly superseded either by mutually acceptable amendments and additions or by provision in an appropriate agreement for peaceful settlement at a political level between both sides."

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