Evening star., 1947-03-30

Lie hOTedu alQ plans nave DASH
aim similar to the proposals fol
s40o,0oo,0o0 in economic and indi.
rect military assistance to Greece
and Turkey-strengthening Of dem.
ocratic forces against communism.
But the situation is different. Ir
Greece and Turkey the United
States would be taking on new re.
sponsibilities. We already have the
responsibilities in Korea. We are
on the spot there.
Our position in Korea gives us ar
opportunity to help create the first
real democracy in that part of the
world, complicated by a twofold
test.
At Odds With Soviet.
1t is test of our patience and
craftsmanship in cooperating po-
litically and economically with the
Koreans to erect the kind of de-
mocracy they want, without either
attempting to dictate to them or
abandoning them completely to
their own devices-and. Russia
short of fulfllment of our obliga-
tions.
1t also is a unique test of our re-
lations with the Soviet Union. In
Korea, as nowhere else in the
world, the United States and Rus
sia face each other directly and
with identical commitments. We anc
the Russians are mutually obligated
to work out between ourselves the
initial steps in establishing a free
and Independent Korea.
American authorities have mo-
been able to make any progress sc
far toward agreement with the Rus.
slams on how to carry out that job
The Koreans naturally are getting
more and more discouraged, restles.
and resentful of the Soviet-Amer.
clan occupation that divides theil
country.
Gen. Hodge Explains.
1t. Gen. John r. Hodge, com
mander Of the American occupation
forces in South Korea, is In Wash.
ington now for conferences designed
to chart our course in Korea fol
the near future in the face of the
stalemate with Russia.
Gen. Hodge thinks 1t important
for Americans to know the back
ground of the problem in order tc
appraise intelligently this Govern
ment's policies, as well as develop
ments as they occur in Korea. He
reviewed much of this background in
a recent luncheon address at the Ma
tional Press Club.
In the first place, he said, it is
necessary to understand something
about what kind of people the Ko-
reans are.
He recalled that they have a his
tory of about 4,200 years as a ma
tional people. They have not been
a close-knit nation for all that time
OF course. But they have been ANAL.
gamated as a people fairly distinct
from other types in Asia.
They are a lot different from
the Chinese and Japanese" Gen
Hodge pointed out. "They are diff.
ferent in physique, and they think
differently
Many Broken Promises.
He described the Koreans as rug
ged individualists, highly intelligent
fun-loving, gregarious and argu.
mentative."
They might be called cantanker.
Gus at times" he added. They are
nearer like us than any other Ori.
entail people.
From babyhood, they have beer
taught to dream of independence
That feeling permeates the blood ol
every Korean alive.
They have learned to hate the
Japanese with a worse hatred thar
any know.
Because they have seen so many
promises broken, they are not too
trusting. They look for action rath.
er than words. They have developed
a resistance to foreign influences"
Until late in the last century
China exercised a laose political
control over Korea fo> few hun
dred years. The Japanese-Chinese
War of 1894-5 marked the beginning
of Japanese penetration in Korea
Russia also was showing interest
in Korea then. For a time, Gen
Hodge recalled, it looked as if Japan
and Russia might reach some agree
ment giving Russia control of that
part of Korea north Of the 38tf
parallel OF latitude.
The Japanese-Russian War oil
19045 ended for a time Russian
activity in Korea. The japanese
assumed protectorate over the
country. In 1910 they took it over
"lock, stock and barrel"
Throttled by japanese.
japanese occupation during the
ensuing decades brought the sever.
est oppression ever experienced by
the Koreans. Their economy was
tied into japanese economy. Japa-
nese was the only language taught
in their schools. Their country was
made the base for the Japanese in.
vasion of Manchuria in 1881. Inde.
pendence lived on as a dream ir
the minds of Koreans.
With Japan's defeat in World Wal
II, all the pentup independence
longing burst out.
During the war the United States
Russia and Britain declared in con.
ferences at Cairo and Potsdam that
"in due course Korea shall become