Evening star., 1949-02-11
Macarthur Army Split
Seen Over Pacific Role
In u. ). Defense Plan
Ry Russell Brines


Asseeiotsd Press foreign Correspondent
TOKYO. Feb. 11.-Strong diff
ferences of opinion between Gen,
Macarthur and Washington ap-
pear to be growing over the role
of the Pacific in American de-
fense plans.
The issue is the same as during
the war--whether the Pacific and
the Orient should be sighted In
favor of a major military concen-
tration in Europe.
1t may be re-examined, if not
finally decided. when Army Sec
retary Royal returns to Washing /
ton. He has been touring Ameri- "
can installations in Japan. South
Korea. Okinawa and Guam.
Against backdrop of Commu-
mist victories in China. Gen. Mac
Arthur has submitted a secret
report on the American military
position in the Pacific. He is be-
lieved to have requested more
troops and aircraft.
Dominant opinion in Washing
ton, however, apparently is that
uniformly strong global defense
line is economically impossible I
therefore. primary emphasis must
be placed on Europe.
AS he did during World War II.
Gen. Macarthur is known to hold
the view that the Orient-and
one-half of the worlds popula-
tion-cannot be ignored. He is
represented as taking into account
two possibilities: +
l. That Communicated China
might disintegrate into warlord-
ism. .
2. That Chinese Communists, \
under Kremlin squirting, might
push southwestward to win the
riches of Southeast Asia and DOM \
mate the vast Asiatic land mass.
It is known that many Wash 4
ington planners are counting on
Mao Tse-tung. Chinese Communist |
leader. becoming the Tito of the
Orient by refusing to give complete
obedience to Prime Minister Stain
They expect his energies to be
absorbed in preventing break
down of his regime.
Gen. Macarthur and his generals
advocate a strong ring of air bases
to contain the Communist tide on
the Asiatic mainland and to pre-
vent any trans-Pacific thrust to-
ward the United States. Some Of
the bases are within range of
industrislized Siberia.
This is the Washington view:
Russia in wartime might take
the Aleutians and Alaska. But she
does not threaten the United
States West Coast across vast dis
tances of the Pacific. The United
States Navy is Is years ahead OF
anything Russia has, and could
protect the Pacific areas dependent
on the United States. Targets
open to strategic bombing from
the Pacific are secondary to Rus
sia's main industrial areas reach
able from European and Mediter-
ranean bases. d
Opinions generally coincide on
the strategic importance OF Japan.
The archipelago would become
a military liability in time of war
because it's 10000. 900 people would
have to be partially fed and its
industries almost wholly supplied
by any occupying foreign power.
For that reason Russia Is believed
disinterested in an actual invasion.
although possibly highly interest
ed in winning political control
from within
Gen. Macarthur has made clear |
his opinion the United States Is
responsible for the defense Of the
japanese until the Job can be
taken over by an international
body.
An influential Washington view,
however. is that the United States
has no such obligation either be-
cause of occupation policies or
actual demilitarization. Aside
from the possible political effect
on other nations. the United
States, by this opinion. is entitled
to withdraw whenever her best in
terestS require.
These divergencies do not indi-
cate any immediate end or reduc-
ton of the occupation. Nor do
they mean abandonment of pres
ent Pacific bases or radical altera-
ton of strategy involving them.
But if Washington wins-as it
did before-Gen. Macarthur once
more may be confined to a thin
defense line