AP is reporting the discovery of a letter from then-U.S. ambassador to Korea John J. Muccio that seems to suggest incidents like the Nogun-ri killings of July 1950 was in-line with a military policy of shooting refugee columns approaching from the north:
More than a half-century after hostilities ended in Korea, a document from the war’s chaotic early days has come to light _ a letter from the U.S. ambassador to Seoul, informing the State Department that American soldiers would shoot refugees approaching their lines.
The letter _ dated the day of the Army’s mass killing of South Korean refugees at No Gun Ri in 1950 _ is the strongest indication yet that such a policy existed for all U.S. forces in Korea, and the first evidence that that policy was known to upper ranks of the U.S. government
“If refugees do appear from north of US lines they will receive warning shots, and if they then persist in advancing they will be shot,” wrote Ambassador John J. Muccio, in his message to Assistant Secretary of State Dean Rusk.
The letter reported on decisions made at a high-level meeting in South Korea on July 25, 1950, the night before the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment shot the refugees at No Gun Ri.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
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I would bet that the Washington Post is not telling us everything.
WTF. This is old, old news. If you read the article, it becomes clear that this letter was declassified in 1982. I remember seeing references to it and then actually seeing a copy around the time of the original contretemps over No Gun Ri. It seems to me that part of the agenda here is to stir things up again in order to get some buzz going for Conway-Lanz’s recently (April 2006) published “Collateral Damage: Americans, Noncombatant Immunity, and Atrocity after World War II”. It apparently needs it, since it hasn’t garnered a single customer review on either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It’s also interesting [sic] to note that the WAPO article on the book was written by Charles Hanley and Martha Mendoza, two of the three authors of the original Pulitzer Prize winning No Gun Ri “expose” later substantially discredited when it was discovered that their principal eye witness sources were very accomplished — what sometimes is termed pathological — liars, who, contrary to their claims, were not even at No Gun Ri. So the other part of the agenda here is an effort by Hanley and Mendoza to rehabilitate their very tarnished work. If anyone wants to read a genuinely historical account of both what happened at No Gun Ri and how the events there were grossly misrepresented by Hanley and Mendoza they should look at Robert Bateman’s ” No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident”. Bateman’s book pretty thoroughly demolishes Hanley and Mendozas by very carefully and systematically examining and assessing all the relevant historical data that is avaialble; he also documents the fraudulence of their sources in detail. I was hoping to check whether Bateman deals with the Muccio later — I think he did — but I loaned my copy to a Korean filmmaker whom I mutual friend informed me was making a movie about No Gun Ri and whom I hoped to at least give an opportunity to be a bit more objective about the event than I suspect he is inclined to be.
Also sounds like a new effort by the Korean left to scupper FTA talks and curry more favor with the North at a time of stalemate over the railroad and during elections the right looks set to win.
“Also sounds like a new effort by the Korean left to scupper FTA talks and curry more favor with the North at a time of stalemate over the railroad and during elections the right looks set to win.”
Er.. I don’t think any Koreans (left wing or not), has any control over what the Washington Post and the US military write in their web pages.
Ah, but there is a movie coming out about this in Korea, I recall hearing…. Could be that has caused some other people to revisit the issue.
The first AP story I read on this, not the WaPo one, was filed from South Korea, quoting victims’ groups demanding an apology again for Nogunri — hence my suspicions. I agree with Sperwer on this newer story.
I’m always very sceptical of governments or the ‘official’ line, but I’ve come to believe that the left has legions of shameless liars who are only too happy to smear the US as badly as they possibly can by exaggerating, distorting or lying (I’m not saying the NoGunRi incident is a fabrication, but from what I’ve heard and read, it does sound like it may very well be). I’m certainly not advocating the whitewashing of US actions, as I know some nasty things have happened over the years in various parts of the world, but there is something called the truth, and that’s what should always be searched for. I’ve told friends that I trust leftist activists and conspiracy theorists even less than government sources and for this have been called a right wing nut.
http://dir.salon.com/story/boo......html?pn=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Gun_Ri
Whether it was US policy to “shoot refugees” is moot.
It is US policy to shoot.
Shoot when you are feeling good.
Shoot when you are feeling bad.
Shoot when you are stone sober.
Shoot when you are stoned to the gills.
Shoot when you’re drunk as shit.
Shoot for the hell of it.
Shoot when the waitress serves your meatloaf cold.
Shoot when the mail is late.
Shoot when your stockbroker falls short.
Shoot in the name of The Lord.
Shoot for the Homeland, Indepedence, Manhood, Virility, The Republic, The Nation, Protection From Fascism, Protection From Communism, A Free and Safe Future. Shoot.
Shoot For Hollywood.
Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.
And keep on Shooting.
God loves a good exchange of gunfire.
Don’t forget Shoot the Innocent and Shoot the Schoolkids. Bowling for Columbine should be required viewing.
Bowling for Columbine was a piece of leftist propoganda.
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[...] who thrives in the shadows of vagueness and ignorance. Just about every 13 months, Hanley retreads the same old No Gun Ri story as a shocking new revelation all over [...]