毫无疑问,李奇微是严格尊重事实的军人。他得知志愿军在第一次战役后有优待俘虏并予以阵前释放的行为,就公开地说了出来。但他也同时指出志愿军想通过释回战俘的口进行宣传以动摇联合国军的士气。他很清楚这是不过一种战术安排,绝非志愿军的俘虏政策。而对于中朝军队凶残虐待战俘的恶行,李奇微了解得很多。他对这两支军队的本质有很清楚的认识。
1953年12月,李奇微到国会就中朝军队虐俘问题作证。正式地说出了他的看法:
That the Communist armies-North Koreans and Chinese, participating in the Korean conflict are the most brutal and ruthless in the history of modern warfare is established by the overwhelming weight of evidence now on hand within the Department of the Army and in the Far East.
Brutality in actual combat can sometimes be expected, and, while it cannot be excused or condoned, its stigma can be somewhat lessened by the common knowledge of all military men that violent combat can stir the emotions of participants to the point where for a time they cease to control themselves. But a studied and calculated course of criminal misconduct, extending over a period of nearly 3 years and carried out with such callous disregard of human life and suffering as to indicate a design on the part of the Communist leadership to exterminate prisoners of war in one way or another, should not be expected, cannot be excused or condoned, and not a word can be said in defense or extenuation of it.
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原页影像:
国会听证文件的第一页: