Evening star., 1949-12-18

makers contended for some time
that Chang Kai-shek and the
Kuomintang were a corrupt bunch
OF reactionaries, while the Com
munists, headed by Mao Tze-tung
were nothing but agrarIan reform
ers, who had at heart the interest.
OF the little man. Those "agrar.
ians" now have shown themselve:
to be as much satellites of Russia
as the iron curtain countries o.
Europe.
Strong Feeling Against War
Across the Atlantic. where We
have centered all our efforts, eco
nomic conditions have improved
steadily along with revival OF the
desire to work and produce. Bu'
to any unbiased observer who ha:
spent a few weeks on the CONT
nent. it is very clear that no Euro
pean government. regardless OF 1t:
commitments to resist Soviet ag'
gression, will be able to fulfil
those obligations.
The popular feeling against war
involving aerial bombardment ane
its inevitable devastation, is se
strong that the men who made tht
commitments to the Atlantic pac'
will be thrown out of Office and re.
placed by people who would prefer
surrender to fight to maintain
their freedom and national indie
pendence.
While the Russians have mere
" held the line" in Europe since
1947, they have made tremendous
strides in China and in the Fa1
East, where the Western powers
are in danger of forceful expulsion
During World War II and for
time afterward the United State:
was solely responsible for the vas
territory extending from the Pa.
cific to the Mediterranean. Tht
British, and to a less extent the
French and Dutch-all of whom
had important economic interest:
in that area-handed over to III
the conduct of their affairs il
Asia.
DO Nothing Policy
The Chinese government, head
ed by Chang Kai-shek, relied ex
clusively on the United States fol
support. India and part OF th'
Netherlands Indies became inde'
pendent countries, thanks princi.
pally to our insistence that the
principle that "all men are ere.
ated free" should be fully applied
In every corner Of the world.
A group of ideologists in the
State Department briefed oul
Presidents and Secretaries o.
State on postwar conditions in th'
Far East. They succeeded in con
vincing our top policy-framer'
that we must abandon the "cor'
rupt and reactionary" Nationals
government by adopting a polio!
of do nothing" at the time wher
the Nationalist armies were en-
gagged in a death struggle with
the Moscow-supported Commu'
nists.
In December, 1947. and May
194S, Congress appropriated abou
$163, ,000, 900 for military assist.
ance to China. About $4,000, ,00(
of this amount is still available
and at the disposal of the Presi'
dent. This means that only $685.
100000 worth of equipment wa.
made available to the Nationalist
government.
Red Army Expanded
Meanwhile, the Russians were
not counting the cost in dollars
and cents. The Communist armies
which in 1945 numbered onl!
25O,000 poorly equipped guerrilla
fighters, were expanded to at leas
2,50o,0o men provided with first
class military equipment.
Moreover, Russian general stat.
officers were attached to the Com
munist headquarters. Not onl!
did they plan the Communist
military strategy but they alst
supervised the movements Of thes'
newly created forces. The Chi
nese have traditionally sided with
those they consider strongest. II
this particular case the National
list forces, after their defeat il
Menchuria, realized that the Rus
slams were the strongest and be-
gan wholesale desertions.
While we in this country wer'
discussing - before congressiona
committees. in the press and OF
the radio-the degree OF cor
ruption of the Nationalist govern
merlt, the Russians worked over
time and succeeded in conquerinl
most of the Chinese mainland
They are now at the borders o
1ndo- China. Burma and Tibet.
Formosa Is Next
Men and ships are being gath
cred in the area between Canton
Shanghai and Tsingtao for al
amphibious operation agatns
Hainan and Formosa Islands. Tn
q chances are that we will con
: time our do nothing" policy ant
will permit Formosa to be takel
over by the Communists.
One of the leading American
military men in the Far East, sur
veying the implications OF ou
disaster there as they affect tn
rest of the Pacific, wrote as fol
lows: ~
1T is a strange thing with u
Americans that we never lear
lessons from the past. There wa
no need for any particularly skill
full kind Of military intelligence t.
realize long before Pearl Harbo
that the japanese would attacl
us. Yet we did nothing tt
strengthen our front in the Pa
cific. Quite the contrary; eve
since the war in Europe startet
we sent everything that cam