He was the first Westerner to cover the aftermath of the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima.
After World War II, he spoke out against atomic weapons and against banning the Communist Party.
He covered the Korean War from the point of view of the communist north. He had a Chinese press credential and reported details of atrocities by UN forces in Korea.
The U.S government claimed that U.S General William F. Dean had been killed by the North Koreans. In fact, Dean was a prisoner of war. The U.S. sought to use Dean's death as leverage in negotiations, but Burchett organized photos of Dean to be taken, thus thwarting the U.S. powerplay.
Burchett had access to the Chinese POW Command in Korea that held U.N prisoners, but he did not participate in assisting the prisoners.
A biography exists entitled Public Enemy Number One.