Message from Ridgway

After a hearty lunch of hot dogs with chili, Admiral Joy climbed into his freshly painted jeep one day last week and started out from Kaesong's U.N. headquarters ("Everlasting Stability Terrace") to the conference building two blocks down the road. On the way, the admiral's jeep passed within a few feet of a column of 83 Chinese soldiers, heavily armed with mortars, machine guns, rifles, pistols, grenades. It was a flagrant violation of assurances given by the Reds to General Matthew Ridgway last month that they would respect a neutral zone around Kaesong, would keep armed soldiers out of the conference area.

Joy took in the scene, wide-eyed but cool, then sent allied correspondents and photographers to get evidence of the Red violation, photograph the enemy soldiers. At the council table Joy noted the affair formally "for the record." That afternoon's session lasted only seven minutes.

Admiral Joy promptly reported the violation to General Ridgway in Tokyo. If the Reds had any doubts left about U.S. firmness at Kaesong, Ridgway cleared them up fast. He called off next day's conference, sent a coldly stern message to the Red commanders, North Korea's Kim II Sung and Red China's Peng Teh-huai: ". . . I now invite your attention to this flagrant violation of the assurances which I required and which you promised. [Until] a satisfactory explanation of this violation and assurance of a nonrecurrence are received . . . the United Nations Command delegation will remain within the United Nations line. I await your reply."

The next day the Reds replied in humble tones. The whole thing, they said, was an accident; they admitted that their troops had carried "illegal arms in violation of our agreement . . ." and promised that there would "be no recurrence of such incidents . . ." Concluded the Red reply: "In order that the cease-fire negotiations will not be affected by such minor 'matters, we have ordered our garrison troops in the Kaesong neutral zone to adhere strictly to the agreement."

The "minor matter," the Reds' third backdown at Kaesong (TIME, Aug. 6), was significant because it showed 1) the West that the Communists still want to discuss a ceasefire; 2) the Communists that the U.N. does not want an armistice badly enough to stand for any pushing around. This week, instead of ordering resumption of the Kaesong talks, Ridgway summoned his negotiators to Tokyo. Possible reason: to discuss a change of site for the truce conference.

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