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Reaction tc the Release of the Pufblo Crew
North Koreans have, as anticipated, given heavyplay to the US "apology" for the Pueblo incident,itajor victory of the Korean people over "US Onecember, the day the crew was released, Pyongyang" made five separate broadcasts on the subject, including alleged now statements by the'crewexpressing thanks for their "humanitarian" treatment during detention. The propagandahas continued in succeeding days, with little or no variation in content.
The major theme in all tha North Korean broadcasts is that the US was forced to "kneel to the Korean people in front of thend that the Pueblois further proofetermined small nation cana "mightyresent "humiliation" cf the US is being compared to the "abject surrender" of United Nations Command forces at Panmunjom Pyongyang has not dealt directly with the US repudiation of the apology document and has maintained that the ship will not be returned.
So far commentary by other Communist countries has been predictable. The Soviet Union and the Eastern Europeansthe North Korean version of the incident. East Germanyulgaria charged that the US breached internationalof diplomacy by repudiating its signature. Yugoslavia inter-
preted US signature of the apoicgv as another signew bs policy of relaxing tensions in Asia. Communist China has not commented.
In South Korea, the foreign xir.ister issued ar. official state nent expressing sympathy for the crew and mild approval of the US action securing their release. Initial South Korean publichas been generallyof the US and probably more closely reflects true South Korean feelings. Somehave characterized the US apology as "humiliating" and as contradictmg_previous US. Two
newspapers, quoting official sources, have taken the US to task for signing the apology, calling the action "tantamountreach of faith" with South Korea and indicativelow US posture toward Northpokesmen for both majorparties have generally echoed press reaction.
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WEEKLY SUMMARY
Original document.
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