Evening star., 1949-03-20


gainst the growing encroachments
The whole Far East Is seething
today, the members of our diplo-
matte and economic missions re-
port to Washington. The unrest
has been greatly accentuated by
the collapse of the Nanking gov
ernment and spectacular success
of the Communist armies in China.
The Asiatics were fully confident
that Chang Kai-shek would be
able to hold his own. since they
were convinced that the United
States was behind him.
u. S. Loses Face
The Asiatics do not know. Of
course, the inside of our politics
in regard to China and the con-
viction of our biologists that we
should not support the corrupt
Koumintang government against
mere "agrarian reformers." as
Mao Tse-tung and his followers
were described.
All they know now-and Soviet
agents are exploiting this for all
it is worth-is that the great
United States had to give up be-
fore the might of the U. S. S. r.
Chang lost face and was forced
into retirement. America lost face,
too. and the destructive work of
the Soviet propagandists-the work
of an almost inf1nitessimal minor
ity over nearly a billion persons
now is going on throughout Asia
at top speed.
In the years preceding Pearl
Harbor the japanese attempted to
win that vast population to their
side. They could offer only cheap,
shoddy manufactured goods in
competition with the more expen-
sive British wares. Russia has
none of these to offer. But she
has something better. That is the
promise of a happy and luxurious
life for those who place themselves
in her service as leaders" and
has other promises for the future
of the masses.
These have been far more Sue
cessful than the activities of the
japanese. The war for independ-
ence conducted by the Wet Namese
in Indo-C China has continued un-
abated for more than two years
and is draining France of her best
manpower. 1t also is making
heavy lnroads in the French
treasury.
British Take a Hand
In Burma the Communists have
taken Manda1ay. and the new
government at Rangoon is fight
ing with its back to the wall
against insurgents who are led. as
other Asiatics are led, by Moscow
trained men.
In India the efforts of the gov
ernment to organize that vast
country of more than 200, ,000, 900
persons is being seriously handi-
capped by the activities of Com
muniStS.
The British government, which
seems to have decided that the
chances of getting along with
Russia are extremely small. now
is sending its spokesmen to the
countries which used to form its
empire. 1t is discussing the ques-
ton of common defense with the
men who rule the destinies of
those new sovereign nations.
There is no question Of inter-
fering with their sovereignty. 1t
is merely an endeavor to line up
the former component parts Of the
empire in a plan of self defense in
cooperation with the Western
world. It is a question Of corre-
lating activities to plan for the
maintenance of a defensive coali-
ton between Occident and Orient
and to drive home to the leaders
of those countries the fact that
their newly acquired independence
will be short lived unless there is
cooperative plan for the COM
mon defense.
Australia, which in the past
considered the potential Red
menace as a bugaboo of old-fash-
ioned imperalists, has begun to
realize that its own government
and institutions now are being
menaced. 1t is taking steps to
prevent further Communist in
roads into that country.
Last October, at a common
wealth meeting, some steps were
decided on to further the defense
of that group Of nations. The
threat to world peace. which Lon
don seems to consider more real
than Washington does, has COM
PEELED the British government to
decide to send official emissaries
to put into effect measures de-
| cided On at that time,