2RHPZ
06-04-2004, 05:01 PM
How Many Times Can I Die?
The life history of a Special Intelligence Agent, US Air Force, and his contributions to the Korean War. by Col. Donald Nichols - A Book Review
I got to know, professionally and NOT socially, Col. Donald Nichols when I worked for the US Air Force 6006th Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence Squadron (a front for a US spy operation) during 1954-1955. My unit was in a compound inside the compound of Nichols' 6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron (a.k.a. 6006 AISS, a.k.a. AF Technical Intelligence, a.k.a. NICK,,) at the K-9 spy base ("Aviary"). Our small outfit received supplies and pay (rice and contrabands) from Nichols' unit. Col. Nichols loved to hand out 100 lb. rice bags on paydays, beaming like a Santa Clause. Indeed, his face was always red from drinking (I learned later that Nichols was an alcoholic and a pedophile), like that of a Santa Clause. Col. Donald Nichols was a personal friend of Rhee Syngman. He commanded a US CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) unit assigned to guard US air bases in Korea. Rhee used Nichols to further his political ambition and Nichols appreciated the opportunity to go after the Korean "Communists", i.e., anyone opposed to Rhee in S Korea. Nichols ran a large spy enterprise for Rhee and the US Air Force in Korea as early as 1948.
After killing off virtually all "communist (=nationalists)" leaders in S Korea, Nichols succeeded in planting agents among the top leadership of N Korea, including a vice premier (according to Kim Ilsung) and five top officials of the N Korean spy organization, S Korean Liaison Office of The Korean Workers Party. Early in 1950, Nichols received a copy of Kim Ilsung's war plan and other hard evidence of the coming war. Unfortunately, his reports were ignored by Rhee, US commanders and the CIA. A CIA agent, Col. Vanderpool, spent several months in Korea and concluded (only a few hours prior to the invasion!) that Nichols was all wet.
One of the most bizarre events described by Col. Nichols is the very first major war crime committed in the Korean War - the massacre of 1,800 civilians by the S Korean National Police at Suwon. Nichols witnessed (if not ordered?) and photographed this grisly event. One of Nichols' pictures appears in several books on the subject of the Korean War - and ironically, the massacre is mistakenly blamed on the N Korean Army!
Col. Nichols was born on February 18, 1923 to an impoverished Dutch immigrant family. His mother deserted him a few years after Nichols was born. His father was a mail carrier during daytime and a shoe salesman during evenings at a local store in a small town in New York. He had to raise four boys by himself and things were not going well for him in New York. He moved his family to Hallandale, Florida in 1933. Nichols lived on welfare for seven years.
On June 28, 1940, Nichols joined the US Army Air Corp. He was assigned as a truck driver to Company F, 30th Quartermaster, MacGill Base, Tampa, Florida. In January 1942, he was sent to Karachi, India to operate and maintain the several thousands trucks on the 4,000-mile supply line from Karachi to the Chiang Kai Sek's war-time capital, Chunking. Nichols unit, the 1603rd Echelon Automotive Maintenance and Supply Company, had to improvise to keep the fleet in operation. Pvt. Nichols worked hard and was promoted to a Staff Sergeant by 1945
In April, 1945, Nichols returned to US on a medical leave and was re-assigned to Camp Waco, Texas and a few month later to the Army Air Corp Base at Kearns, Utah. He was a 1st sergeant assigned to a casualty unit. It was here in the Mormon country that he apparently became a Mormon. Nichols re-enlisted in October 1945 and was sent to Guam as a Master Sergeant in charge of the motor pool at a B-29 Base - the 31st Air Service Group.
In April 1946, Nichols volunteered and received training as a special intelligence agent (Counter Intelligence Corp.) in Tokyo. Upon graduation on June 29, 1946, Nichols was assigned to a 3-man "K" sub-detachment of the 607th CIC (Counter Intelligence Corp.). The unit's mission was to guard the US Air Force base at Kimpo and other areas of S Korea.
One of Nichols' duties was to 'look over' Rhee Syngman, an American puppet but not 100% trusted by the Americans. Nichols and Rhee became "personal" friends. Rhee provided funds and manpower to Nichols in order to exterminate Rhee's political enemies (= "Communists'). This "duty" fell nicely into Nichols' scheme of things. Nichols was able to expand his little empire rapidly and was able to intimidate and control all political and military leaders of S Korea - including Rhee Syngman.
Nichols states: "I had complete access to the Republic of Korea government from its highest echelons to the bottom line. I soon learned one of the most effective ways to control high level politicians is through a state of fear. Everyone has a skeleton to hide; find out what, where, or who it is, and you have your man more-or-less under control. I used this tactic with any official I couldn't win over by sheer friendship and magnetism." Nichols details various methods of torture and extermination of the "Communists" - used by the American and S Korean agents under his command.
From 1947 to 1948, Nichols traveled to Pyongyang, disguised as a supply convoy commander for the US Mission in Pyongyang. Nichols expanded his counter-spy operation with full personal support from Rhee Syngman. On March 31, 1947, Nichols traveled through N Korea disguised as a World Federation Trade Union delegate.
In 1948 and 1949, Nichols placed several moles among the ruling group of the S Korean Workers Party (Korean Communist Party) and received high level intelligence on the N Korean war plans including the exact date of the invasion. Nichols supplemented human intelligence with aerial recon flown by S Korean pilots in L5 observation planes. However, his intelligence reports fell on deaf ears in Tokyo and Washington.
When the war broke out, Nichols' unit was based at Pupyon in Seoul and he was the last American to leave Seoul. On his flight south, he participated in one of the worst massacres of civilians in the War - some 1,800 civilian prisoners were systematically shot to death by Nichols' S Korean employees at Suwon. Nichols narrates:
"I stood by helplessly, witnessing the entire affair. Two big bull-dozers worked constantly. One made the ditch-type grave. Trucks loaded with the condemned ("Communists") arrived. Their hands were already tied behind them. They were hastily pushed into a line along the edge of the newly opened grave. They were quickly shot in the head and pushed into the grave...."
"I tried to stop this from happening, however, I gave up when I saw I was wasting my time. I was the only foreigner there...I think I'd rather have gone with the dead and gotten it over with quick and easy - then I wouldn't have these terrible nightmares.
The worst part about this whole affair was that I learned later that not all the people killed were communists.."
"The least I could do would be to make a photographic record of this stinking episode. Then the manner of their deaths would never be disputed or falsely blamed. These photos I still guard, as I have since that miserable day in July 1950, so that they would not fall into hands that would misuse them for false or treasonable motives, personal gains or exploitation." Well, true to Col. Nichols fears, Rhee and US government agencies claimed the opposite of what happened at Suwon (communists killing peaceful S Korean peasants).
Nichols spent his spare times caring for Korean orphans. In fact, he adopted two young Korean boys and married a young Korean girl (Kim In Wha) in 1950 In Wha died on February 18, 1953 during childbirth and bore him a son (Donald II). Years later, it was discovered that Nichols was a pedophile of young boys.
Nichols was a Special Investigation Officer for the US CIC from June 1950 to May 1951 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CWO). He commanded the 6004th AISS from May 11, 1951 to November 1957. The 6004th was re-designated as the 6006th AISS in 1953 and Nichols stayed on as its commander. His new mission was to train Rhee's spy agency, the ROKA 6006th AISS.
During the Korean War, Nichols achieved several remarkable feats for the US Air Force Technical Intelligence. On August 3, 1950, Nichols retrieved a disabled N Korean T-34 and towed it safely to the US base. The US AF was looking for the Achilles heel of T-34 tanks. It was discovered to be the radiator ventilator opening on the rear of T-34's. Later in the War, Nichols recovered two downed MiG jets from N Korea after the CIA (Joint Advisory Commission in Korea - JACK) failed to do the same. Nichols himself landed deep inside N Korea on both MiG recovery missions. During the Korean War, Nichols main mission was obtaining technical intelligence for the US Air Force (NICK), but in addition he ran his own partisan and spy units (ROKA "Air Force", "Oceanic Research Institute" and "Korean Labor Organization") for Rhee Syngman. Nichols was made an honorary colonel of the ROK Air Force and Rhee pinned several Korean hero medals on Nichols. The 6006th AISS operated several captured fishing junks, PT-boats, LST's, helicopters, ambulances, bull-dozers, airplanes, and other contraptions designed by Nichols himself.
Rhee's political power started to crumble upon signing of the Armistice and Nichols powerbase began to erode. Younger and more nationalistic Korean generals and police commanders took over. These people disliked taking orders from the Americans S Korean Police and press got wind of the horrid human rights violations being committed by Nichols men and people started asking questions.
Nichols asks himself - "How did I, an uneducated, non-trained, non-experienced individual possess the knowledge that I did/do about ways and means to conduct espionage/sabotages? I went from a 6th grade drop-out to a commander of an air intelligence service.. How?" Nichols believed that he learned the spy craft from a prior incarnation. Nichols lists the reasons why we lost the War - the Korean A-frame is high on the list.
Nichols was removed from his command in November 1957 for certain irregularities and he was sent back to US awaiting official investigations. He was discharged in 1962. Nichols was unable to adjust to a civilian life. He suffered one failure after another. He was homeless and roamed Mexico and US. He drank more heavily and engaged in pedophilic activities with young boys.
"I looked about me for some clue - or key - to happiness and drew a blank. Perhaps too many years of traveling, too far, doing too much, in too many places, with too many responsibilities left me incapable of enjoying myself."
In 1970, Illnesses forced Nichols to return to US and settle down. By this time his boys had left him and his only companions were dogs. Over the next few years, even his dogs went away one by one. Nichols states:
"My post-retirement life, I am sorry to say, has been one continual streak of frustration for one reason or another. Laying it all aside, I have had a full life; a life with moments filled with joy; with sadness; with fears; with bravery; with foolishness; with courage; with beauty; with sordidness; with security...with seeking for security - I wouldn't wish it on anyone else; however, it has been more than I deserved."
He stayed in contact with his blood son Donald II but his two adopted sons cut all contacts with him.* In 1987, he attended an emotional reunion with Korean vets of the 6006 AISS in Seoul.* On his way to Seoul, he stopped by his nephew's home in Chicago for a an icy family reunion.* He had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair in Seoul and accorded a hero's accolation by the Korean officials.*That was his last hurray.**
Donald Nichols, the Lawrence of Korea, died in a VA hospital in 1992, destitute and nearly insane. To his last day, Nichols believed that N Korean hit squads were after him, his sons and relatives.
The life history of a Special Intelligence Agent, US Air Force, and his contributions to the Korean War. by Col. Donald Nichols - A Book Review
I got to know, professionally and NOT socially, Col. Donald Nichols when I worked for the US Air Force 6006th Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence Squadron (a front for a US spy operation) during 1954-1955. My unit was in a compound inside the compound of Nichols' 6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron (a.k.a. 6006 AISS, a.k.a. AF Technical Intelligence, a.k.a. NICK,,) at the K-9 spy base ("Aviary"). Our small outfit received supplies and pay (rice and contrabands) from Nichols' unit. Col. Nichols loved to hand out 100 lb. rice bags on paydays, beaming like a Santa Clause. Indeed, his face was always red from drinking (I learned later that Nichols was an alcoholic and a pedophile), like that of a Santa Clause. Col. Donald Nichols was a personal friend of Rhee Syngman. He commanded a US CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) unit assigned to guard US air bases in Korea. Rhee used Nichols to further his political ambition and Nichols appreciated the opportunity to go after the Korean "Communists", i.e., anyone opposed to Rhee in S Korea. Nichols ran a large spy enterprise for Rhee and the US Air Force in Korea as early as 1948.
After killing off virtually all "communist (=nationalists)" leaders in S Korea, Nichols succeeded in planting agents among the top leadership of N Korea, including a vice premier (according to Kim Ilsung) and five top officials of the N Korean spy organization, S Korean Liaison Office of The Korean Workers Party. Early in 1950, Nichols received a copy of Kim Ilsung's war plan and other hard evidence of the coming war. Unfortunately, his reports were ignored by Rhee, US commanders and the CIA. A CIA agent, Col. Vanderpool, spent several months in Korea and concluded (only a few hours prior to the invasion!) that Nichols was all wet.
One of the most bizarre events described by Col. Nichols is the very first major war crime committed in the Korean War - the massacre of 1,800 civilians by the S Korean National Police at Suwon. Nichols witnessed (if not ordered?) and photographed this grisly event. One of Nichols' pictures appears in several books on the subject of the Korean War - and ironically, the massacre is mistakenly blamed on the N Korean Army!
Col. Nichols was born on February 18, 1923 to an impoverished Dutch immigrant family. His mother deserted him a few years after Nichols was born. His father was a mail carrier during daytime and a shoe salesman during evenings at a local store in a small town in New York. He had to raise four boys by himself and things were not going well for him in New York. He moved his family to Hallandale, Florida in 1933. Nichols lived on welfare for seven years.
On June 28, 1940, Nichols joined the US Army Air Corp. He was assigned as a truck driver to Company F, 30th Quartermaster, MacGill Base, Tampa, Florida. In January 1942, he was sent to Karachi, India to operate and maintain the several thousands trucks on the 4,000-mile supply line from Karachi to the Chiang Kai Sek's war-time capital, Chunking. Nichols unit, the 1603rd Echelon Automotive Maintenance and Supply Company, had to improvise to keep the fleet in operation. Pvt. Nichols worked hard and was promoted to a Staff Sergeant by 1945
In April, 1945, Nichols returned to US on a medical leave and was re-assigned to Camp Waco, Texas and a few month later to the Army Air Corp Base at Kearns, Utah. He was a 1st sergeant assigned to a casualty unit. It was here in the Mormon country that he apparently became a Mormon. Nichols re-enlisted in October 1945 and was sent to Guam as a Master Sergeant in charge of the motor pool at a B-29 Base - the 31st Air Service Group.
In April 1946, Nichols volunteered and received training as a special intelligence agent (Counter Intelligence Corp.) in Tokyo. Upon graduation on June 29, 1946, Nichols was assigned to a 3-man "K" sub-detachment of the 607th CIC (Counter Intelligence Corp.). The unit's mission was to guard the US Air Force base at Kimpo and other areas of S Korea.
One of Nichols' duties was to 'look over' Rhee Syngman, an American puppet but not 100% trusted by the Americans. Nichols and Rhee became "personal" friends. Rhee provided funds and manpower to Nichols in order to exterminate Rhee's political enemies (= "Communists'). This "duty" fell nicely into Nichols' scheme of things. Nichols was able to expand his little empire rapidly and was able to intimidate and control all political and military leaders of S Korea - including Rhee Syngman.
Nichols states: "I had complete access to the Republic of Korea government from its highest echelons to the bottom line. I soon learned one of the most effective ways to control high level politicians is through a state of fear. Everyone has a skeleton to hide; find out what, where, or who it is, and you have your man more-or-less under control. I used this tactic with any official I couldn't win over by sheer friendship and magnetism." Nichols details various methods of torture and extermination of the "Communists" - used by the American and S Korean agents under his command.
From 1947 to 1948, Nichols traveled to Pyongyang, disguised as a supply convoy commander for the US Mission in Pyongyang. Nichols expanded his counter-spy operation with full personal support from Rhee Syngman. On March 31, 1947, Nichols traveled through N Korea disguised as a World Federation Trade Union delegate.
In 1948 and 1949, Nichols placed several moles among the ruling group of the S Korean Workers Party (Korean Communist Party) and received high level intelligence on the N Korean war plans including the exact date of the invasion. Nichols supplemented human intelligence with aerial recon flown by S Korean pilots in L5 observation planes. However, his intelligence reports fell on deaf ears in Tokyo and Washington.
When the war broke out, Nichols' unit was based at Pupyon in Seoul and he was the last American to leave Seoul. On his flight south, he participated in one of the worst massacres of civilians in the War - some 1,800 civilian prisoners were systematically shot to death by Nichols' S Korean employees at Suwon. Nichols narrates:
"I stood by helplessly, witnessing the entire affair. Two big bull-dozers worked constantly. One made the ditch-type grave. Trucks loaded with the condemned ("Communists") arrived. Their hands were already tied behind them. They were hastily pushed into a line along the edge of the newly opened grave. They were quickly shot in the head and pushed into the grave...."
"I tried to stop this from happening, however, I gave up when I saw I was wasting my time. I was the only foreigner there...I think I'd rather have gone with the dead and gotten it over with quick and easy - then I wouldn't have these terrible nightmares.
The worst part about this whole affair was that I learned later that not all the people killed were communists.."
"The least I could do would be to make a photographic record of this stinking episode. Then the manner of their deaths would never be disputed or falsely blamed. These photos I still guard, as I have since that miserable day in July 1950, so that they would not fall into hands that would misuse them for false or treasonable motives, personal gains or exploitation." Well, true to Col. Nichols fears, Rhee and US government agencies claimed the opposite of what happened at Suwon (communists killing peaceful S Korean peasants).
Nichols spent his spare times caring for Korean orphans. In fact, he adopted two young Korean boys and married a young Korean girl (Kim In Wha) in 1950 In Wha died on February 18, 1953 during childbirth and bore him a son (Donald II). Years later, it was discovered that Nichols was a pedophile of young boys.
Nichols was a Special Investigation Officer for the US CIC from June 1950 to May 1951 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CWO). He commanded the 6004th AISS from May 11, 1951 to November 1957. The 6004th was re-designated as the 6006th AISS in 1953 and Nichols stayed on as its commander. His new mission was to train Rhee's spy agency, the ROKA 6006th AISS.
During the Korean War, Nichols achieved several remarkable feats for the US Air Force Technical Intelligence. On August 3, 1950, Nichols retrieved a disabled N Korean T-34 and towed it safely to the US base. The US AF was looking for the Achilles heel of T-34 tanks. It was discovered to be the radiator ventilator opening on the rear of T-34's. Later in the War, Nichols recovered two downed MiG jets from N Korea after the CIA (Joint Advisory Commission in Korea - JACK) failed to do the same. Nichols himself landed deep inside N Korea on both MiG recovery missions. During the Korean War, Nichols main mission was obtaining technical intelligence for the US Air Force (NICK), but in addition he ran his own partisan and spy units (ROKA "Air Force", "Oceanic Research Institute" and "Korean Labor Organization") for Rhee Syngman. Nichols was made an honorary colonel of the ROK Air Force and Rhee pinned several Korean hero medals on Nichols. The 6006th AISS operated several captured fishing junks, PT-boats, LST's, helicopters, ambulances, bull-dozers, airplanes, and other contraptions designed by Nichols himself.
Rhee's political power started to crumble upon signing of the Armistice and Nichols powerbase began to erode. Younger and more nationalistic Korean generals and police commanders took over. These people disliked taking orders from the Americans S Korean Police and press got wind of the horrid human rights violations being committed by Nichols men and people started asking questions.
Nichols asks himself - "How did I, an uneducated, non-trained, non-experienced individual possess the knowledge that I did/do about ways and means to conduct espionage/sabotages? I went from a 6th grade drop-out to a commander of an air intelligence service.. How?" Nichols believed that he learned the spy craft from a prior incarnation. Nichols lists the reasons why we lost the War - the Korean A-frame is high on the list.
Nichols was removed from his command in November 1957 for certain irregularities and he was sent back to US awaiting official investigations. He was discharged in 1962. Nichols was unable to adjust to a civilian life. He suffered one failure after another. He was homeless and roamed Mexico and US. He drank more heavily and engaged in pedophilic activities with young boys.
"I looked about me for some clue - or key - to happiness and drew a blank. Perhaps too many years of traveling, too far, doing too much, in too many places, with too many responsibilities left me incapable of enjoying myself."
In 1970, Illnesses forced Nichols to return to US and settle down. By this time his boys had left him and his only companions were dogs. Over the next few years, even his dogs went away one by one. Nichols states:
"My post-retirement life, I am sorry to say, has been one continual streak of frustration for one reason or another. Laying it all aside, I have had a full life; a life with moments filled with joy; with sadness; with fears; with bravery; with foolishness; with courage; with beauty; with sordidness; with security...with seeking for security - I wouldn't wish it on anyone else; however, it has been more than I deserved."
He stayed in contact with his blood son Donald II but his two adopted sons cut all contacts with him.* In 1987, he attended an emotional reunion with Korean vets of the 6006 AISS in Seoul.* On his way to Seoul, he stopped by his nephew's home in Chicago for a an icy family reunion.* He had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair in Seoul and accorded a hero's accolation by the Korean officials.*That was his last hurray.**
Donald Nichols, the Lawrence of Korea, died in a VA hospital in 1992, destitute and nearly insane. To his last day, Nichols believed that N Korean hit squads were after him, his sons and relatives.