There were no Jews among the American war prisoners who, upon their release, preferred to remain in Communist China rather than return to the United States, Virginia Pasley, former American war correspondent, establishes in a book published today under the title “Twenty One Stayed.”
The author records that of a total of 3,746 American captives released by Red Korea on an exchange basis, 21 announced that they preferred to stay in Communist China. “Sixteen are Protestants of various denominations; four are Roman Catholics; one is a Greek Catholic; there are no Jews,” Miss Pasley notes. All of them are native-born, and all but one had native-born parents, she emphasizes. She spent three months to get the background of the 21 by visiting their homes in the U.S. which are scattered in various states.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.