Chicago world. (Chicago, Ill.) 1918-????, 1949-02-12
The WAY OF A FIGHTER

war China. Even at this late date
the Wedemeyer report on China
should be made public.
After a summer of diplomatic
maneuveTing between the Gen
lelalissimo and Chimes Communist
leaders, the civil war broke out
into the open again in October
1S45. The Generalissimo's armies
still had their American-supplied
equipment. Well equipped with
trucks, artillery, machine guns,
and mortars they began a sys-
tematic mopup of Communist
troops wherever they could be-
! found. The Generalissimo's Of
fensive was well under way and
progressing successfully when
General George G. Marshall
reached China in November,
1915 as special emissary. Mar
shall has now retired in poor
health after devoting a lifetime.
| OF great service to his country.
He carries with him the respect
OF ali those, including myself,
who worked with him during the
war and of all who shared his
labors during the trying post
war years.
/ 1t was unfortunate that his as.
Segment in China was to carry
/ out a policy set for him by tine
State Department that was ut
terry impossible to execute. 7
failure of Marshall's China
sion had its roots in these faulty
orders. Under normal Sircum-
stances it would seem less than
tair not to ignore this episode in
/! the career of a man who has
does so much for his country.
However, a full discussion of
this period in our China policy is
absolutely essential to under
!. stand what lis going on in Asia
and why our national survival is
as stake. Here in Shanghai, with
China crumbling before my eyes.
| have no choice but to discuss
the Marshall mission frankly.
Marshall was a rigidly disci.
plined ''spit and polish soldier
OF the "Black Jack" Pershing
school, and he came to China
fresh from five years as head OF
the most powerful military or
ganization in the world. Marshall
was used to conducting his bust
ness through direct orders
promptly executed without ques
tloI. BY the time Marshall reach'
ed China that country was re
duced to state of d1sorganiza
lion where getting thing accom-
plz led by the Chinese govern
nj ut requird rare tact, tiexibil
lty, and judgment. Only foul
years of far less bru-al enemy
occupation reduced France to q
position where it is SIT / impos
s-ble to organize a responsible
government. China suffered
eight years Of occupation inter
.arGed with intermittent civil
var that 1eft economic cha,S anc
political turbulence SO violent il
vas impossible for an Occiden
tai to understand it at frs
glance. Marsflralrs Judgment o.
China by his strict soldiers
standards and tight concept Of
organization have aidA his un
derstanding of the Chinese pro
blems he came to solve.
Marshall also came to China
with a set of orers utterly i'm
possible to carry out. They were
! given to him by a State Depart
ment that was the course of {
Russian policy now admitted t.
have been a grievous error. Mar
shall did not originate that pol
icy, and, when he became Secre
tary of State, he was the Leader
in the fight to change it. How
ever, in his China mission hi
was saddled with these State De
partment orders; good solide.
that he was, he strove to carr.
them out to the letter despite al
: obstacles and regardless of how
hopeless he himself may hav,
thought the task set for him.