European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 stars and stripes sunday april 15 2007 army admits omitting letter on korean killings 2001 report excluded a 1950 note alluding to gis shooting refugees by Charles j Hanley and Martha Mendoza the associated press six years after declaring the us killing of korean War Refu gees at no gun i was not deliberate the army has acknowledged it found but did not divulge that a High level document said the us military had a policy of shooting approaching civilians in South Korea the document a letter from the us ambassador in South Korea to the state department in Washington is dated the Day in 1950 when us troops began the no gun i shootings in which survivors say hundreds mostly women and children were killed exclusion of the embassy letter from the army 2001 investigative report is the most significant among numerous omissions of documents and testimony Point ing to a policy of firing on Refu gees Harvard historian Sahr con Wayland disclosed the existence of ambassador John h Muccio 1950 letter in a 2006 Book Collat eral damage he uncovered the declassified document at the us National archives after South Korea asked for More information the Pentagon acknowledged to the Seoul government that it examined Muc cios letter in 2000 but dismissed it it did so because the letter out lined a proposed policy not an approved one army spokesman Paul Boyce wrote in a recent email to the a but Muccio message to Assis Tant Secretary of state Dean Rusk states unambiguously that Deci Sions made at a High level us South korean meeting in Taegu now South Korea on july 251950 included a policy to shoot approaching refugees the reason american command ers feared that disguised North korean enemy troops were infiltrating their lines via refugee groups 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 the ambassador told Rusk cautioning that these shootings might cause repercussions in the United states deliberately attacking noncombatants is a War crime Conway Lanz called the Penta Gons explanation thoroughly unconvincing noting that the Muc Cio letter in Plain English says decisions were made no gun i survivors said us soldiers forced them from nearby villages on july 25 1950 and stopped them in front of us lines the next Day when they were at tacked by aircraft near no gun i a Village in Central South Korea troops of the 7th us Cav Alry regiment followed with ground fire As survivors took Shel Ter in twin underpasses of a con Crete Railroad Bridge in 1999 a dozen Exso Diers corroborated the korean survivors timetable on korean War refugee shootings declassified documents and eyewitness testimony have begun lifting a shroud of secrecy from the Halfen Turvold Story of South korean refugee killings by the us military heres a look Back july 251950 in the korean wars fifth week a Kossouth Kore an meeting sets policy of shooting refugees approaching us lines to guard against infiltrators according to classified letter sent to Washington by us ambassador in Korea july 26291350 us warplanes and ground troops kill refugees at no gun i South Korea survivors estimate 400 dead August 1950april 1951 succession of secret orders from Colo Nels and generals instruct 03 units to fire on refugees approach ing us lines 1994 As South Korea democratize no gun i survivors file first of Many petitions to us officials for investigation apology and compensation All Are ignored 199t9s survivors file claim with uss Cuth korean compensation commission iks military counters that its troops were not in no gun i area claim is dismissed on technicality 1999 associated press report confirms no gun i killings Cit ing More than a dozen Exso Diers who support survivors accounts 1993present South koreans file complaints with their govern ment about More than 60 alleged episodes of mass refugee killings by us military 2001 after investigation us army reverses self and affirms no gun i killings occurred but Calls it not a deliberate killing its report Doest disclose existence of declassified documents and veterans testimony showing pattern of orders to shoot refugees evidence later uncovered by a 2006 historian Sahr Conway Lanz publishes Book telling of us ambassadors i960 letter to state department reporting policy decision to shoot approaching refugees 2007 army  in 19992001 reviewed ambassadors not to mention it in final report from the associated pres ski 0 100km China North f Korea Pyongyang Seoul sea of Japan yellow sea gun i Pahang Korea 1 7 South accounts prompting the Penta gon to open its inquiry korean authorities have certified the identities of at least dead or missing no gun i was not the Only such incident As 1950 wore on us commanders repeatedly or dered refugees shot according to declassified documents one incident on sept 1 1950 has been confirmed by the declassified official diary of the uss de Haven which says that the Navy destroyer at army insistence fired on a Seaside refugee Encampment at Pahang South Korea survivors say 100 to 200 people were killed Moreth Aii dozen documents in which High ranking us officers Tell troops that refugees Are fair game for example and order them to shoot All refugees source sri a coming across River were found in the investigators own archived files after the 2001 inquiry none of those documents was disclosed in the army 300page Public report now even equipped with the Best financing 5 buy Down offer on Volvo car Loans heres How to make the luxury of a new custom built Volvo even More affordable choose your favorite 2007 Volvo now and Well buy Down your interest rate yup to two and a half for outstanding financing plus All the benefits of Volvo military program Welcome to you Volvo cars military sales representative but dont take a rain Check our special financing offer is Only valid Abrol 16 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