David Hawkins (defector)
Encyclopedia
Samuel David Hawkins was the youngest of the American
defectors of the Korean War
. Hawkins was one of only twenty-two American and British servicemen to defect to China
after the conclusion of the war in 1953. Hawkins returned to the United States
in 1957.
, Oklahoma
. His father, Clayton O. Hawkins, whom Hawkins says he had an unhappy relationship with during his childhood, had served in World War ll. He enlisted in the U.S. Army
at the age of 16. Captured and made a prisoner of war
by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army
troops, he chose to remain in China after the signing of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, one of twenty-two American and British servicemen to do so. While in China, he studied politics at the People's University of China
in Beijing, and later worked in Wuhan
as a mechanic. Hawkins was featured in Virginia Pasley's 1955 book "21 stayed; the story of the American GI's who chose Communist China:
who they were and why they stayed." His father died in a fire in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma while Hawkins was in a prisoner-of-war camp in China. In 1954 Hawkins was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army. In 1956 he married a White Russian
woman named Tanya who had grown up in a French
convent in China and worked at the Soviet embassy
in Beijing
.
Hawkins was permitted to speak with the foreign press in China. His interviewers included African-American journalist William Worthy
, as well as correspondents from Reuters
and Look Magazine
. As early as June 1956, Hawkins indicated his desire to return home in an interview with a British journalist. Finally, in late February 1957, he took a train from Guangzhou
to the border with British
-ruled Hongkong and departed mainland China
by walking across a rail-bridge to the British territory. Upon his arrival in Hongkong he was met by U.S. Vice Consul S.M. Backe, who questioned Hawkins and issued him a one-way passport to the United States. He stated that the major motivation for his departure from China was the way the Soviets had suppressed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which turned him off Communism. He was the 7th ex-U.S. Army soldier to come back after defecting to China.
city oilman, M. H. Champion, paid for Hawkins ticket after Hawkin's mother, Carley Sallee Jones, made a public plea for assistance. Mr. Champion also promised Hawkin's a job after his return to America. Hawkins landed in Los Angeles
, California
, on March 2, 1957. In total, he defected for more than three years and spent more than seven years in East Asia
. On June 23, 1957, he gave an interview with Mike Wallace
, explaining his decision to defect, and his motivations for eventually returning to the United States. The following week Wallace interviewed World War Two veteran and Medal of Honor
recipient Charles E. Kelly
. Wallace described how Hawkin's had been "accepted back into his community" and asked Kelly " How do you think that we should treat U.S. Army turncoats?", Kelly responded:
In June 1957 it was announced that Hawkins wife Tanya would arrive in Hong Kong with the intention of traveling to the United States to be with her husband. After his return to the United States David Hawkins worked in Oklahoma City as a sales man in an oil firm. In the fall of 1957 Tanya Hawkins arrived in the United States. Mrs. Hawkins claimed that after her husband returned to the United States she lost her job in China.
In 2001 the United Press and Associated Press
reported that Hawkins had studied to become a physician's assistant, was married and had children. Hawkins returned to China to participate in the filming of Shuibo Wang's 2005 documentary film "They Chose China" about the 22 American and British soldiers who defected to China. The film extensively features Adams and his personal story.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
defectors of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Hawkins was one of only twenty-two American and British servicemen to defect to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
after the conclusion of the war in 1953. Hawkins returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1957.
Early life and war time experience
Hawkins was born in Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. His father, Clayton O. Hawkins, whom Hawkins says he had an unhappy relationship with during his childhood, had served in World War ll. He enlisted in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at the age of 16. Captured and made a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army
People's Volunteer Army
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army was the armed forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army belonged to the People's Liberation Army , the People's Volunteer Army was separately constituted in order to...
troops, he chose to remain in China after the signing of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, one of twenty-two American and British servicemen to do so. While in China, he studied politics at the People's University of China
Renmin University of China
Renmin University of China; RUC, also known as People's University of China , colloquially Renda , is a major research university in Haidian District, Beijing, China. Its campus neighbors those of Peking University and Tsinghua University....
in Beijing, and later worked in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
as a mechanic. Hawkins was featured in Virginia Pasley's 1955 book "21 stayed; the story of the American GI's who chose Communist China:
who they were and why they stayed." His father died in a fire in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma while Hawkins was in a prisoner-of-war camp in China. In 1954 Hawkins was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army. In 1956 he married a White Russian
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
woman named Tanya who had grown up in a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
convent in China and worked at the Soviet embassy
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Hawkins was permitted to speak with the foreign press in China. His interviewers included African-American journalist William Worthy
William Worthy
William Worthy, Jr. is an African-American journalist, civil rights activist, and dissident who pressed his right to travel regardless of U.S. State Department regulations.-Education:...
, as well as correspondents from Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
and Look Magazine
Look magazine
Look magazine can refer to:* Look , 1937 to 1971* LOOK Magazine, for African-American college students* Look Magazine * Look Magazine...
. As early as June 1956, Hawkins indicated his desire to return home in an interview with a British journalist. Finally, in late February 1957, he took a train from Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
to the border with British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-ruled Hongkong and departed mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
by walking across a rail-bridge to the British territory. Upon his arrival in Hongkong he was met by U.S. Vice Consul S.M. Backe, who questioned Hawkins and issued him a one-way passport to the United States. He stated that the major motivation for his departure from China was the way the Soviets had suppressed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which turned him off Communism. He was the 7th ex-U.S. Army soldier to come back after defecting to China.
Return to the United States
Neither the American or Chinese governments provided Hawkins money for his return trip to America. Rather, a wealthy Oklahoma CityOklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
city oilman, M. H. Champion, paid for Hawkins ticket after Hawkin's mother, Carley Sallee Jones, made a public plea for assistance. Mr. Champion also promised Hawkin's a job after his return to America. Hawkins landed in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, on March 2, 1957. In total, he defected for more than three years and spent more than seven years in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. On June 23, 1957, he gave an interview with Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (journalist)
Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist, former game show host, actor and media personality. During his 60+ year career, he has interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers....
, explaining his decision to defect, and his motivations for eventually returning to the United States. The following week Wallace interviewed World War Two veteran and Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient Charles E. Kelly
Charles E. Kelly
Charles E. Kelly was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II...
. Wallace described how Hawkin's had been "accepted back into his community" and asked Kelly " How do you think that we should treat U.S. Army turncoats?", Kelly responded:
He's a human being; we should treat him the same as we treat any other G.I. In my opinion, I think the boy deserves it; he just got off on the wrong track. And I know for a fact when he went to Korea, he didn't know whether he was going to come back or he was going to stay there. So, maybe he got a little scared when he was captured. Maybe he was pressured, tortured. I don't think it's the boy's own fault. No doubt at the time -- I never seen him or never met him -- No doubt he was young and he wasn't trained properly.
In June 1957 it was announced that Hawkins wife Tanya would arrive in Hong Kong with the intention of traveling to the United States to be with her husband. After his return to the United States David Hawkins worked in Oklahoma City as a sales man in an oil firm. In the fall of 1957 Tanya Hawkins arrived in the United States. Mrs. Hawkins claimed that after her husband returned to the United States she lost her job in China.
In 2001 the United Press and Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that Hawkins had studied to become a physician's assistant, was married and had children. Hawkins returned to China to participate in the filming of Shuibo Wang's 2005 documentary film "They Chose China" about the 22 American and British soldiers who defected to China. The film extensively features Adams and his personal story.
External links
- David Hawkins, video of The Mike Wallace InterviewThe Mike Wallace InterviewThe Mike Wallace Interview is a series of 30-minute television interviews conducted by host Mike Wallace in 1957-60. Before The Mike Wallace Interview was televised nationally on prime-time in 1957, the host of the show had risen to prominence a year earlier with Night-Beat, a television interview...
, June 23, 1957 - They Chose China, NFB documentary (2005) on American POW's who chose to stay in China
- Reading Eagle - Mar 4, 1957 - Front page photo of David Hawkins' return to Oklahoma in 1957