Some People Wonder! (Believe it or not, these are POW's!)
An English-language leaflet for United Nations soldiers, issued in the name of the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers. A photograph of four captured U.S. soldiers, named with service numbers, sits under the headline Some people wonder!. The overleaf says all soldiers are working men, blames a handful of U.S. billionaires for the war and urges readers to lay down their arms. The tell: the photograph is offered as proof of good treatment while the enemy is recast as fellow workers.
- Date
- 1951
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Korean People's Army and Chinese People's Volunteers (front-line propaganda, English-language leaflet)
- Region
- East Asia
- Country
- North Korea
- Medium
- Leaflet
- Issuer type
- Military
- Leader
- Kim Il Sung
- Audience
- Enemy forces
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- Korean War
- Techniques
- Plain folksScapegoating
- Leader
- Kim Jong Un
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons, retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Openly licensed (CC BY 4.0; Korea Copyright Commission, Gongu Madang, per Wikimedia Commons)
Korea Copyright Commission (Gongu Madang, gongu.copyright.or.kr); co-author U&People Co., Ltd.; contributor Busan Modern History Research Institute (Kim Han-geun); via Wikimedia Commons (File:BK한국전쟁삐라 003 195 앞.jpg), CC BY 4.0.
Text on the object
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THESE ARE POW'S! The four GI's are: S. A. Rada, RA13273634 W. A. Camden, RA11187371 T. Kappel, RA13298445 W. J. Pierce, RA28092120 SOME PEOPLE WONDER! It is widely known by now that the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers are generous to prisoners of war. The photo on the top gives you an idea of how good POW's life is. But there are, we are told, a few GI's who ask "Can this be true?" Unfortunately, some of them, with this doubt in mind, have behaved foolishly in time of danger to themselves—and some have even lost their lives needlessly. Let's explain why we treat prisoners so well. (See other side) [reverse] Our armies are made up of plain working men. You soldiers, like us, are people who have worked hard for a living or come from working families. We are all ardent peace-lovers. We all want to have a secure life, a good job and a comfortable home. And we are all striving for the betterment of life in our countries. There is no need for you, any more than there is need for us, to invade other people's countries. We have no hatred toward each other. We don't need to hate each other. As we see it, it is only a handful of U.S. billionaires who want war because they profit by it. You have been unfortunately forced and deceived into fighting this unjust war. You gain nothing from it and stand to lose everything. We believe, you don't want this war. To repeat: - People like you and us, who have to work for their living, are "members of the same family". - We bear no hatred toward each other. - You are simply victims who have been unfortunately duped into fighting. So it is quite natural that, once you lay down your arms, we give you generous treatment. U.N. Soldiers! In an emergency, remember this: Your best way to safety is to LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS. You will not only be safe, you will be doing the right thing! (See other side) 195
(English original; no translation needed.)
Read from two 1280 px scans (front and reverse); the front's lower-left shows faint bleed-through from the reverse, which is ignored. Service numbers are read as printed (RA = Regular Army prefix); any digit uncertainty is at the scan's resolution only.
