Evening star., 1950-07-28
What Overwhelming Response?

In reporting to Congress ten days ago on the
fighting in Korea the President spoke of the
Overwhelming response throughout the free
world" to the action by the United Nations and
the United States against aggression.
The President was more rhetorical than
literal. If anybody-save our courageous and
numerically inferior troops-has been over
whelmed, the identity of the overwhelmed re-
mains unclear. We may have been encouraged by
applause from the free nations of the world. We
have by no means been overwhelmed by their
offers of material assistance
Within about 48 hours after the Communists
crossed the 38th Parallel and moved south, we
had made our decision and committed ourselves
to armed resistance against aggression with the
blessing Of the United Nations That was
month ago. Eighteen days after our decision
on July l5-Trygve Lie, secretary general of
the United Nations, asked 50 member Nations
to consider sending combat forces to Korea,
particularly ground forces" He had been
advised, he said, that United Nations forces
are in urgent need of additional effective
assistance
Yesterday-12 days after the Lie appeal
the State Department furnished The Star with
this breakdown of the Overwhelming response"
to date by nations of the free world:
Great Britain-Naval units and combat
team OF unannounced size.
Canada-Three destroyers; transport planes
and ground crews.
Franchise Of a sloop.
Norway and The Observation-Disclosures
ship tonnage.
Belgium and Greece-Transport aircraft.
Boivia-Thrty army officers.
Thailand-Four thousand soldiers.
Turkey-Forty five hundred soldiers
Australia-Ar fighter support: combat team.
New Zealand and TJberia-Couhat teams
size unannounced
Denmark-Ambulance unit
Sweden-Field hospital.
Lebanon-Fifty thousand dollars.
Cuba-"Essental materials or articles"
Argentina. Brazil. Peru. the Philippines and
Paraguay-Willingness to consult as to what they
should or can supply.
The purpose of this summary is not to deride
what other Nations have offered. In few cases
it has been much Perhaps the response is,
as Secretary Acheson has said, of the greatest
political Importance" The Importance may lie
in the fact that there has been any response,
and that what response there has been is at
least a beginning-a tentative, if weak, practical
application of the relatively new moral concept
of international, armed resistance to aggression.
But the response has been Disappointing It
is subject to ridicule by the Russian propagan-
dists, who are doubtless making the best of it.
Tt leaves a sour taste over here, and to those
who overSimplify the purposes of ECA and other
adventures on our part abroad supported by
American taxpayers with billions of dollars, it
supplies form of critical opposition that can
be effective. More than anything else, however,
the nature of the response so far including the
tardy reluctance Of others when compared with
our own immediate decision, takes the substance
out of much of the tall talk about the willingness
of the free world to fight for freedom.
The important lesson of this experience may
be that reliance on ourselves-without hope of
substantial help from anybody else-is our only
safeguard.