RED CROSS LINKS GAS TO YEMENI DEATHS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300060042-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: July 15, 2005
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: June 3, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

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..NEW YORK TIMES - Saturday, June 3, 1967
Red Cross Links Gas
To Yemeni Deaths
By THOMAS J. HAMILTON
Special to The New York Tithes
GENEVA, June 2-The Inter-
national Committee of the Red
Cross announced today that
"many" inhabitants of a'village
in North .Yemen died by as-
phyxiation after, a bombing
attack last. month. It added
that a Red Cross medical team
had found "various indications
pointing to the use of, poison
gas bombs."
The bombing took place sev-
eral days before the medical
team arrived on May 15 and 16
{to treat the survivors, the 'an-
because, its truck convoy was
bombed while on its way to the
'Village.
p The , ~ all-Swiss , committee,
which has the controlling voice
in International Red Cross 'ac-
Use of Gas Linked to Yemeni Deaths
planes were responsible. In re-
sponse to questions, a spokes-
man said. only that the` village
was "probably" in Royalist ter-
ritory.
Reliable sources here said
afterward that the United Arab
Republic, which has stationed
an expeditionary force believed
to total up to 50,000 men in
Yemen to support the republi-
can regime against the Royal-
ists, carried out the attack.
Later in May,. they said, other
gas attacks by the United Arab
Republic killed at least 75 per-
sons in two other Royalist-held
villages.
Plea to War Participants
The International Committee
appealed today . to all the
authorities concerned in the
Yemeni civil war to "take the
solemn engagement not to re-
sort in any circumstances what-
ever to the use of asphyxiating
gases or any other similar toxic
substances."
The appeal was addressed to
the Yemeni Royalist Govern-
ment and to Saudi Arabia,
which is supporting it; to the
Yemeni Republican Government
and to the United Arab Repub.
lie.
The ? International Committee
of the Red Cross is an inde-
pendent body that works in as-
sociation with national Red
Cross organizations to check
Continuak on Page 9, Column
the observance of international
treaties prescribing I rules for
treatment of prisoners and
civilian war victims by
belligerents. The committee's
announcement today, said that
it was "extremely disturbed and
concerned by these methods of
warfare which are absolutely
forbidden by codified interna-
tional and customary law."
Since 1928, the Egyptian Gov-
ernment and its successor, the
United Arab Republic, has. been
a party to the Geneva Conven-
tion of 1925, which prohibits
the use of poison gas.
Last February, the. Inter-
national Committee, acting on
reports that poison . gas had
been used, sent an appeal to the
belligerents in Yemen to respect
their international commit-
ments. At the time, according
to sources in close touch with
the committee, it felt that it
could do no more because it
lacked evidence.
Team Visited Village '
Concerning the latest. inci-
dent, however, the International
Committee was positive. It said
that its medical team, despite
the delay resulting from the air
attack, reached the village on
May 15 and 16, treated some of
the wounded "and collected
various indications pointing to
the use of poison gas."
It was understood that
more details were contained in
reports sent to the four Gov-
ernments. By a coincidence,
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia is
now in Geneva at the Inter-
yards away from the Interna-
continental Hotel, a few hundred
tional Committee headquarters.
According to other sources,
the village cited by the Inter-
national Committee is probably
Bait Maran, which they said was
attacked by United Arab Re-
public planes on May 6.
These sources said that the
relief convoy was displayingg
Red Cross markings when it
came under attack and that the
attack was intended to prevent
it from giving help. The Red
Cross medical personnel jumped
out'of the trucks when the first
bomb dropped, and "hid among
(rocks until theTJnited Arab Re-
public planes flew away, they
said.
Other Attacks Reported
The exact number ' of vibtims
was not disclosed, but. on May
11 an : attack . by United Arab
Republic forces on Gahr, anoth-
er village In northern. Yemen,
was reported to have 'resulted
in more than 50 dead. An at-
tack ,on. Gadafa. the same ,day
was reported to _ hage, killed
about 25, and Gadafa was " re-
ported to have 'been attacked
again on May 17.
However, a bombing raid ,on
still another village, Kitaf, on
Jan.' 5 was reported to have
produced the much larger toll
of 150 killed. It was understood
that this was the attack that
produced the earlier appeal by
the international Committee.
According to these sources,
the United Arab Republic, has
mostly used mustard gas, which
attacks the skin and lungs, but
has also employed a nerve gas
that kills by paralyzing the
central nervous sytem. Phos-
gene gas, a severe irritant to
the lungs, is also reported to
have been used.
c ved+, r-Refeese 2005/07/25 033BRO, 009600421-37