Evening star., 1950-06-28
u. 5, Action on Korea
May Help TO Prevent
Third World War
Move RecoIIs FoiIure
To Block Hitler March
Into RhineIond in 1886
BY David Laurence

DOL OOu6 III NOFcHlUcI, 15oop WleIl
Hitler marched into the Rhine
land, the British and French gov
ernments procrastinated and did
nothing, and the League of Ma
tions-without America as a men,
ber-failed to halt the aggression.
Today the United States. acting
In behalf of the United Nations,
takes its stand firmly. orders its
military forces into action and Is
prepared to take the consequences
in an effort to halt an aggressor
in his tracks.
The United States. though re-
garding the outbreak as techni-
cally between two groups of Ko-
reans. has sent a note to Moscow
making it unmistakably clear that
America understands the motiva-
ton of the North Korean action to
be Russian.
What all this may lead to in
world affairs is too early to ap-
praise. but there is such sigh
of relief throughout Washington
today that it's like a breath of
fresh air in stuffy room. The
Republicans and the Democrats
are once again united on an un-
partisan foreign policy. There is
no more partisan politics now, as
both parties get behind the Presi-
dent in a remarkable demonstra-
tion Of unity before all the world.
The new policy in the Far East
is, to be sure, a reversal. For
months it had been decided to
write off the Far East-Com-
munist conquests in China were
just too bad, Formosa couldn't be
defended, Korea might have to be
abandoned. But the recent trip of
Secretary of Defense johnson and
Gen. Bradley to confer with Gen.
Macarthur and the visit of John
Foster Dulles to Korea all seemed
to synchronize with American
sentiment, namely, that mani
festation of weakness in the Far
East would be a blow to America S
prestige throughout Asia as well
as in Europe. If America were in
different to the fate of Korea,
then no small nation could expect
help from either the United States
or the United Nations. A stand
had to be taken in the Far East to
show that America was ready to
fight to defend freedom anywhere.
1t was an opportunity for a mill
tary demonstration - so often
made as a means of preventing a
big war.
Also the main defect in the Tru-
man-Acheson policy which has
led to such severe attacks from
Senators 7Knowland of California
and Alexander Smith of New Jer-
sey and Representative Judd of
Minnesota-all Republicans-has
been corrected at last. 1t was this
trio which wanted Formosa saved
somehow. but to this the admin
istration had cried out that they
were flirting with war.
Russians Blundered.
Fortunately for everybody con-
cerned, the Russians blundered in
time. They suddenly gave the ad-
ministration a way out of the
whole dilemma. For President
Truman promptly pointed to
Communist aggression in Korea as
a justification for protecting For
mosa against Communist attack.
True enough, the administration
doesn't necessarily get behind
Chang Kai-shek and the Nation
alists now but keeps the Com
munists out of FormoSa just the
same. The Chinese people may in
terpret the action as they please
and the Communists in China
will get small comfort out of it.
AS for the shooting, it will be
brief. The Russians are not likely
to provoke a war, though their
capacity for harassment should
by no means be underestimated, as
they might bring in Communist
troops from China to help the
North Koreans and start chap
ter in history not unlike that
which developed in the Spanish
civil war as d prelude to World
War II.
1t could happen, of course, that
the Russian people may grow
restive and begin to ask if the
Kremlin is involving them in
war. 1t could happen that the
Moscow government will back
track and. while disavowing any
responsibility for the behavior of
the North Korean forces, never
theless keep the latter from con-
tinuing their aggression.
Most important of all consid-
erationS in reversing American
policy was the possible effect on
the japanese people of the re-
ported abandonment of Korea and
Formosa. If that had happened.
Communist infiltration in Japan
would have become bolder and
more effective. The new policy.
like the drawing of a line" in
Greece and Turkey, has awakened
real support on every side as a
logical development of America s
global leadership.
Russia tried to test out America
and found a firm, hard, unrelent-
ing policy in Asia as in Europe.
That's the biggest single devel-
opment thus far of the postwar
period and could conceivably pre-
vent any attempts at aggression
by the Communists in Europe or
elsewhere.
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