Evening star., 1949-06-14
Macarthur Rebukes Moscow

General Douglas MacArthurS latest pro-
nouncement Is one of the severest official
indictments of Soviet duplicity and CHI
canery yet issued by high spokesman for
the Western Powers. 1t is thoroughly war
ranted by the facts.
The occasion for this public lambasting
was letter of protest addressed to him
as Supreme Allied Commander in Japan
by General Derevyanko, Soviet member of
the Allied Council for Japan. The Red
general had the effrontery to complain
against police suppression of violent dem
onstrations by Communist-incited workers
in which one man was killed, apparently
by accident. General Derevyanko used
this minor incident to pen a lengthy
homily on human rights, democratic lib
critics, and the intustices allegedly suffered
by japanese labor under the American oc-
cupation.
This Is not the first time the Soviet
member of the Allied Council has needed
General Macarthur, who has become in
creasingly the target of Moscow-inspired
Communist propaganda The Supreme
Commander evidently thought it was high
time to call the turn on such tactics, which
he did in his reply to the Soviet complaint,
without mincing his words. Terming
Moscow IAN inciter of disorder and vio-
ciety," Macarthur pointed out the gross
inconsistency and duplicity of this ZAP
parent championship of fundamental
human rights" with Soviet Russia's total
disregard of such rights among its own
people and wherever its power extends. He
then went on to raise the burning issue
of Russia's failure to live up to its COM
mitments concerning the release and repa-
triation of japanese war prisoners.
When Russia entered the Far Eastern
war at a moment when japan was already
reeling on the verge of defeat, the Soviet
armies overran Manchuria and Northern
Korea with ridiculous ease, capturing the
entire Japanese forces In both regions, the
number Of prisoners exceeding 100000.
These vast masses of captives were
promptly herded northward into Siberia,
where they were used for forced labor of
various kinds. However, the armiStice
terms concluded between Japan and the
victors stipulated that all war prisoners
were to be repatriated within reasonable
time, and all the Allied signatories except
Russia have long since complied. Russia,
however, has been fiagrantly dilatory in
releasing its captives, a large portion of
whom are still prisoners of war in Russia
nearly four years after the termination of
hostilities. Repeated efforts of the Ameri-
can occupation authorities to get Russia
to live up to its commitment, including
the providing Of ample ship transport by
us, have been nullifled by Soviet evasion
and procrastination. General Macarthur
holds up Russia's failure to maintain nor
NAL standards of human decency in the
disposition of the captives" as we'll as its
failure to liberate them as glaring in
stance of Moscow's Inconsistent dema-
goguery" in prating of human rights and
liberties against such a factual back
ground.
General MacArthur's riposte is calcu-
lated to strike responsive chord in Japa-
nese public sentiment, which has been nat
urally embittered by the holding of war
prisoners and their bad treatment. 1t is
hard to see how Moscow can get much
profit out of General Derevyankos ma
neuver.