A dozen Russian prisoners of war were brought before the correspondents for questioning. A French correspondent, speaking fuent Russian, spoke, to the Soviet prisoners directly and then translated their replies to his questions for the benefit of the other correspondents.
The prisoners said they were reservists and were recalled to the colours at Perm, Siberia, on May 29.
When they were called up they were informed that they had been summoned to the colours for the purpose of engaging in manceuvres, they said.
The prisoners abused the Soviet regime and blasted the Soviet leaders for their poor care of Soviet troops.
They told with satisfaction how they surrendered as soon as the Japanese machine-gun fire became deadly in their vicinity.
Today, about midnight, the foreign correspondents will proceed to Hailar.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.