Evening star., 1950-03-17
Acheson Speech Fixe,
Line Against Russian
Push in Indo-China
Same Step Token in AT
In Greece and Turkey
By Trumun Doctrine
By David Laurence

Russia has. In effect, been
warned that, If the Communist
forces or guerrillas from China
start any aggressive action in
Southeast Asia in general and
1ndo-China in particular, mill
tary resistance could conceivably
be the result. The speech by the
Secretary of State. Dean Acheson,
in San Francisco has that i'm
plicit meaning.
This Is what's called in military
circles drawing the line and being
willing to take stand on such a
line"
The same approach was used
in Greece and Turkey when the
so-called Truman Doctrine was
first announced in 1947.
1t means in both instances that
the military and economic strength
of the United States can be so
concentrated as to help the in
vaded smaller countries to resist
aggression.
Step in Total Diplomacy"
The Importance of the move in
the cold war can hardly be ex-
sggerated. 1t is apparently de-
liberate step growing out of total
diplomacy"-the use of all mill
tary, economic and diplomatic
resources-in dealing with Rus
sia.
What gives the step its real
potentiality is that the Russians
know full well what it means. If,
as is so often claimed hereabouts,
physical force is the only Ian
guage the Russians can under
stand. then the Acheson speech
forewarns publicly of the possible
use OF such force. 1t is not to be
construed as the threat of nation
interested in provoking trouble.
On the contrary, it is the defen-
siye act of nation which wants
to prevent trouble.
For several weeks now dis
patches from the Asiatic area have
indicated that. having become the
dominant factor in China. the
Communists intend to push on
into Southeast Asia and impair
the sovereignty of other countries
IN a series of moves calculated to
harass the United States.
The American Government could
have ignored developments and
written off the Far East altogether
as involving too many obligations
SO far away. But, instead, the
United States has chosen a course
which combines military with
diplomatic goals.
1t means that, with due regard
to the fact that the United States
does wish to spread its forces thin
in q global sense, American mill
tary pressure will nevertheless be
exerted after all in Southeast Asia.
One Reason For Strategy.
One reason for this strategy is
that the great United States Navy,
with its aircraft carriers, is avail
able to do job of military DEM
onstration which cannot be done
any other way, because neither the
land-baSed Air Force nor ground
troops can be deployed for that
purpose at present without tre-
mendous expense.
Airplanes from the Navy car
riers can fly over a large area in
Southeast Asia in demonstrations
such as that of the planes from
the Boxer" over-Indo- China this
week. The carriers can move from
one coastal region to another and
do the same thing again and
again with their planes. It would
not be surprising If the Navy were
permitted to take out of mothballs
more Of its carriers for this pur-
pose.
80 On land, an American military
mission will work with native
armies in Southeast Asia exactly
as was done in Greece. The virtue
OF the plan is that it establishes a
don't dare to cross this line"
barrier far enough away from any
central base for troops or supplies
that the Soviets may have in
China as to limit the size of the
expected aggression. Theoretically
at least. Chinese troops and guer-
r1ilas to operate across China's
borders can be handled by local
forces-trained by American Air
and Army officers without in
voiying the United States in any
large-scale war.
It's sort Of sparring match
with probably little military COM
bat involved but with far-reach-
Ing implications and warnings
Presumably the Russians, who
didn't accept the challenge In the
case of Greece or Turkey and
bring on a world war, will be
bluffed out the same way in South
east Asia-at least. that's the hone
here.
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