The US army has reopened its inquiry into claims that it massacred hundreds of South Korean civilians almost 50 years ago after denying there was any evidence that a massacre had taken place.
The new inquiry has been ordered following an investigation by the Associated Press, which quoted several veterans of the Korean War admitting they fired on civilians, including children, as they sought refuge under a railway bridge near the village of No Gun Ri in July 1950.
Survivors of the alleged massacre have been unsuccessfully claiming compensation from the US for the past five years.
Last March the Pentagon wrote to the representative of the claimants saying its research had "produced no evidence to demonstrate US army involvement".
Following the AP investigation, however, the Secretary of Defence, Mr William Cohen, has called for a new review of the army records.
The Secretary of the Army, Mr Louis Caldera, described the latest reports as "very disturbing" and promised "a thorough review."
Survivors of the alleged massacre and relatives yesterday demonstrated outside US army headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, demanding justice.
Historians point out that there was a very confused situation for US troops in the weeks following North Korea's invasion of South Korea in June 1950.
North Korean troops were suspected of infiltrating the American lines disguised as civilians and then attacking from the rear, spreading panic among the poorly trained soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division.
The records reveal an order to the 1st Cavalry saying "No refugees to cross the front line. Use discretion in case of women and children."
The AP investigation went further than the official records, which do not record any wholesale killing of civilians, and interviewed veterans who served in the area in July 1950.
Mr Edward Daily, who was a machine-gunner, recalled that several hundred refugees were taking refuge under the bridge after being strafed by US aircraft on July 25th and 26th.
"We got orders to shoot them all. The officers thought there were guerrillas hiding among the refugees and the easiest way of dealing with the problem was to shoot them all . . .
"On summer nights when the breeze is blowing I can still hear their cries, the little kids screaming," Mr Daily said.
Other veterans interviewed confirmed that they were ordered to fire on the refugees under the bridge.
During the Vietnam War, US troops massacred several hundred South Vietnamese civilians at My Lai in March 1968.
Lieut William Calley was later charged with the murder of 109 civilians and sentenced to life imprisonment reduced on appeal to 10 years.
After more than two years of delaying US ratification of a global treaty banning nuclear testing, Republicans in the Senate on Thursday suddenly offered to debate and vote on it next week.
Although 152 nations have already signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Washington has taken the lead in pressing nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to join the signatories, the US has still not ratified it.