The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-10-26
TODAY and TOMORROW
By WALTER LIPPMANN

AS General Macarthur 6 oe S
about expelling the japanese from
the Philippines, our people VIII
wish to know how best the ycan
make sure that never again shall
this country suffer the tragedy and
humiliation of 5ataan, that never
again shall Americans have to I'M
dertake the bloody and bitter task
Of fighting on the beaches and in
the jugles of the islands of the
Pacific. So the question is what
else we must do when the Philip
pines have been liberated.
We shall, of course, carry out
our solemn pledge OF independence,
handing over to The Philippine gov
eminent already established on
Leyte Island the rights OF a SOW
ereign state. But neither the Fill
Pine nation nor the Americans will
entertain the illusion that the Phil
ippine Republic can defend its own
independence. So we must ask
whether in alliance with the United
States, even if it is never again so
unprepa1ed as it was in 1941, the
Philippines can enjoy the security
without which they cannot remain
independent. -
This question ait the root OF
the debate between those who call
them selves and wish
to. rely only on the separate mill
tary power of the United States
and those who contend that the
military power of the b.. United
States,-.' great as it is, cannot be
great enough to establish security
for this country. and its interests
unless it is the instrument OF a
foreign policy of continuing collab-
grafton with our present allies. A
realistic study of the problem OF
Philippine defense Can lead only,
it seems to me, to the conclusion
that the lled4nationalist view
is absolutely unavoidable and pro-
foundly opposed to the true ma
tional interest of the United States.
cor it is evident that when Gen
eral Macarthur returns to Manila,
it will be absolutely necessary to
go on from there and drive the
Japanese out of China and For
mosa. If, for example. the war
ended with the liberation of the
Philippines, if we did not 60 on
to impose the terms agreed to at
Cairo by. Churchill, Chang Kai-
shek, and Roosevelt, and tacitly
Endorsed by Stain shortly after at
Teheran, what would be the posi-
ton, of the Philippines? They would
be within easy bomber range, and
of invasion range, from the long
coast of China and from Formosa.
If Japan is not expelled from Chi
ma, and were permitted to develop
and exploit the military resources
of China, the American forces per-
manently needed to- defend the
Philippines would probably be at
least. as great as those which Mac
Arthur and Halsey are now using
to liberate them.
Here is the answer. to those who
argue that we can rely on our
own military power alone, and that
it is foolish ''internationalism" to
be interested in working with the
British Commonwealth and En-.
pire, the Soviet Union, and China.
No one, 1 suppose, will contend
that having spent American lives
and American treasure to liberate
the Philippines, we shall then be
able to wash our hands of the
Philippines. Now, to make the
Philippines secure solely by Ameri-
can arms, with such help as the
Filipinos can give, would be, as
against a China unfriendly to us
or in japanese control, formid-
able undertaking We should have
to maintain permanently in t h e
islands a large standing army to
guard the bases of vast air and