AMERICANS HELD IN CHINA GETTING KIN'S PARCELS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300170003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 26, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

By. Nicholas Daniloff
United Prexx InternaHnnAl
The telegram from Hong Kong contained only the two
words "Delivery routine." But that message brought
glad tidings to American Red Cross headquarters this
John T. Downey of New
It meant simply, but elo- Britain, Conn., an ichard E.
quently, that American prison- 1 Fecteau of Lynn, Mass., were
ers held in Communist China captured oy a inese w en
would be receiving their! their aircraft was forced down
Christmas parcels. on a flight from Korea -to
The routine delivery wast-Japan Nov. 29,' 1952. They
made Nov. 30. Actually, it is.-were convicted of espionage.
just one more in a series of( Downey was sentenced to life
monthly deliveries that began' imprisonment and Fecteau tof
in 954 when. Peking held 50 20 years.
Americans. Huge F. Redmond Jr. of
Today the Communist Chi-,Yonkers. N.Y., was an Ameri,
nose hold five. The others have can businessman in Shanghai
been released over the years until arrested in March, 1952.
upon' completion of prison He was sentenced to life im-
i terms for alleged activities' prisonment.
against the Communist state. The Red Cross and the Com-
Capt. Philip E. Smith of Vic-1 munist Chinese officials fi-
i
t
r
j to.willc, Calif., was the latest nally reached an agreement at
mpo ant matters, it will still CPYRGHT
American to fall into Commu-' Geneva in 1954 for American be there, and it can be used,"
nist Chinese ha gds when his prisoners to receive regular he said. .
plane was shot wn over the parcels.
Gulf of Tonkin in September; Each prisoner is now Thus, every month a Red
1965. allowed two 11-pound parcels Cross offices' flies to the Brit-
Red Cross authorities man- a month. Prepared . by the ish crown colony of Hong
aged to get a message to him, prisoners' families in the Kong from Tokyo.
;on Christmas bay last year United States and by the Red There he ripens every pris-
that his wife had given birth Cross, they contain such items oner parcel, inspects it, and
to a baby. . as canned meat, crackers, makes sure that its list of eon-
The Red Cross got word coffee, sugar, candy, tooth tents is
from the red Cross Society of paste, shaving cream and the smallest st prrecut i down to the
China just a few days ago like. %
4 On the a a of
,,hat Smith was "well and ins The Red Cross reports that pP nted day-the
good health." They said per-. the Chinese have fully lived '30th of every m 'o, n t h-he
mission had been granted for up to the agreement. But they ;crosses the bridge of Wo-lu.
Smith to receive parcels, too, are strict about it. At precisely 11 a.m., an of-
I, The American prisoners 'areaR Sam Krakow, director of the ficial of the C h i n e s e Red
a varied bunch, and are held e d Cross's international Cross appears on the other
1 in different places. Little is! services, said that efforts to side.
known of their daily lives, but' establish a similar agreement In accordance with the
w o r d reaches Washington with the North Vietnamese agreement reached between
from time to time that they and the Vietcong have yielded lour two national societies, I
are not being mistreated. Also, no results. hereby deliver packages for
they have occasionally been Quiet Satisfaction the American prisoners de-
;Permitted visits from rela- Krakow looks on his tained in China. Will you ac-' tives in America; tacts with the con- cept them?" The American
Communist
asks.
Bishop Is Oldest Chinese over. the last 12 years The Chinese r e p e 'a t a
Oldest among the prisoners, With quiet satisfaction.
"We are constantly y in touch them.
a Maryknoll Father from Cum with the Chinese. This is a lit- The American, returns to
herland, Md. He has served as tle bridge, and there is not Hong Kong, and as the first'
a Catholic missionary in China Fmuch traffic on it now," he order of business goes to the
on and off since 1918. He was said. , We want to be very telegraph office. There he dis
sentenced March 18, 1960, to' careful and iiaintain the than-' patches the two dramatic
20 years' imprisonment for, nel. day, there are more words:
"espionage and subversion." ,
.. , ~ ? , ~ i Delivery Routine,"
Sanitized - Approved' For Release :' ,CIA-RDP75-00001 R0003001 70 P 03-4