The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1950-12-28

you have insisted upon them? If
you had, your leadership would have
been repudiated. The America of the
last five years Is the America the
people have wanted. II is the Amer
lea they still want.
From what you write, il is also
the America you want, yourself.
II is useless being embittered
about the aftermath of World War
II. We were unequal to our respon-
sibilities; that is true. But on the
other hand, there was a great deal
that we did do.
We were far from niggardly with
our national resources More than
any nation ever did in the past, we
gave of our substance to those who
needed it, Until we saw that we
were being made fools Of, we gave
as freely to Communists as to all
others.
Only slowly did our people realize
what they were up against They
wanted peace. They thought that
most other people wanted peace.
They believed the Kremln wanted
peace. Little by little, the truth be-
came palmer; finally, it became too
plain to be mistaken, and the people
understood.
That Is why you were sent to 10
rea; because time had come when
Communist aggression could no long
err be tolerated. II was dangerous
decisiOn--the United Nations inter
ventiOn in Korea. Even from the
beginning, IL was evident that the
Chinese armies might support the
North Koreans. But what was the
alternative? To allow the Commun-
lists To seize Korea?
If we had done this, without a
fight Of any kind, no nation in the
world would have trusted us. It
would have been surrender, piece
meal surrender, to Communist ag-
gression Our loss would have been
greater, far greater, that way. And
the Communist menace would have
come closer to America without the
world seeing--in full and final plain
ness the brutal purpose of the
/ Kremlin.
We had to make a stand some
where. The United Nations had to
make stand. Besides being a
moral necessity, it had become a
question Of survival. The remaining
free nations have no chance what
ever unless the Communists are
halted.
YOU WANT TO KNOW whether
any good has come of it. You are
in retreat. You have not achieved
the purposes for which you went
there.
Here, like yourself, some of what
! say must be said in bitterness. For
the last two years at least, it has
been clear that we have needed to
rearm. In my own view, it was
clear much sooner, but in any case,
after the Communist seizure of
Czechoslovakia it was inexcusable to
hesitate.
Our military leaders should have
known the time was then, not 1852.
The Congress bears an equal share
of blame. In utter blindness, the
majority in both Houses insisted
upon politics as usual-indeed, upon
politics much worse than usual. This
was criminal stupidity.
shall have to say that you might
not have been defeated if your lead
/ ers had provided what was neces-
sary. This would have meant, how
ever, that you yourself would have
needed to leave civilian life much
earlier. So would thousands of
others. / do not know how you
would have felt about that. / Just
mention it because we have to be
honest with ourseIves-aH of us. The
! leaders should have known better
that is what leaders are for. Never
theless, think they did what the
people wanted.
I do not believe, however, that
your defeat-even if it turns out to
be entirely such-means that the eff
fort was useless. 1t had to be tried.
Some day, it will have to be tried
again. There is no chance whatever
that the world can remain half
slave, half free" What you have
done in Korea has committed us for
the future. Unless we are willing to
surrender to the Communists, we
must accept the facts of war for what
they are. Our cause is lost already if
blood and tears can break our reso-
luton.
THINK THAT MUCH WORSE
I L