The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-07-01
REDS BREAK
KOREAN line,
But STOPPED
Strategic Town Not Lost as
Broadcast from Washinq-
ton-Things Are Hay

TOKYO, Sunday, July 2-tR-A
North Korean Communist column
has been hurled back from Suwon
by stiffening South Korean defense
and apparently never actually took
that strategic town or its import
ant airstrip, General MacArthur's
headquarters indicated today.
The Red forces are concentrated
now 10 miles north of Suwon and
have thrown at least three make
shift wooden bridges across the
broad Han River, % miles north
of Suwon, indicating imminence Of
q heavier thrust.
Seoul Bombed
A U. S. Air Force communique
said B-29 superfortresses bombed
the bridges and railroad yards and
anti-aircraft batteries inside the
Red-held capital city of Seoul Sat-
urday.
This sudden reversal of previous
accounts OF the fast-shifting Kor-
can war situation came as Amer
lean foot soldiers were being poured
into far South Korea in a histor-
ical airlift. They started moving
by rail more than 200 miles north
to the front, but latest word was
that none had yet completed the
trip.
SuwOn Situation
The Macarthur headquarters
communique said that South Kor-
can defense forces were holding
Suwon came at almost the same
time as Washington defense de-
partment announcement that it
was lost.
Officers at MacArthur's head
quarters greeted the Washington
announcement with silent smiles.
Circumstances of just what hap
pened when the Reds made an
acknowledged breakthrough across
the Han River and advanced on
Suwon Friday night were admit
tedly hazy.
1t was theorized in Tokyo that
the Red advance, coupled with the
hasty departure of the American
field headquarters and South Kor-
can officials from Suwon, led m
telligence officers either in Tokyo
or Washington, or both, to trans
late probability into fact.
Public information officers at
headquarters had refused either to
confirm or deny, however, until
this mornings communique. Even
it quoted undisclosed sources to
indicate" that the southerners re-
tanned Suwon.
Without detailing exactly what
happened, MacArthur's commune
que said:
Another Rebal
THE Suwon area YVES l,cnent-
rated by advance elements of the
Communist forces on the night of
June 80, but apparently not in
sufficient force to hold their gains"
Reports direct by telephone from
Taejon, the temporary South Kor-
can capital 70 miles south of Su-
won, had said Saturday that the
South Korean defense collapsed at
Suwon and the Reds were roaring
southwark with an armored col
umn.
MacArthur's communique said,
there was some increase in enemy
activity south of the Han River,
but not much"
It intimated that American Air
Forces might be attacking the Nor
therners' bridges across the Han,
but said bad weather hampered
both air and naval activity Sat-
urday.
Defying the bad weather, the
Air Force steadily threw American
infantrymen into Fusan, southeast
Korea. They must travel 1872 miles
northwest by rail to reach Taejon.
The Suwon area is 70 rail miles
still farther north.
An Air Force spokesman in
Tokyo said the airlift was without
incident. He said a C-54 trans
port that crashed at Fusan, killing
% men, was not on troop-carry-
ing mission.
Tom Lambert, Associated Press
correspondent at Taejon, said no
American foot soldiers had yet ar
rived there late Saturday night.