Evening star., 1950-08-20

both in Asia and in Europe.
The chances of keeping NOR,
the port of Pusan are for the pres
ent extremely limited. The truth
Is that we have committed the
bulk of our available ground
forces in the campaign which
started two months ago and until
November, at the earliest, we shall
have only very few ground troops
to reinforce the heavily tried
fighters strewn from Japan to
Germany.
Out of an overall force of 10 di-
visions, we have committed in
Korea four Army divisions and a
force of Marines. At present we
are scraping the bottom Of the
barrel to replace our heavy losses,
which amount to some 10000 men
in killed, wounded, missing and
otherwise unavailable for action
because of illness or battle IA
tigue. In other words, Washing
ton must supply to the United Ma
tions high command the personnel
of a full division to make good
casualties of various types. Con-
sidering the smallness of our reg
ular military establishment, the
Pentagon will find it difficult to
do more than replace the actual
losses by ordering combat teams
from the infantry and Marine di-
visions still at home.
The Reserves and National
Guard troops will not be available
for active duty in the field until
next November. Until then. Gen
Macarthur will have to hang or
with the manpower available tc
the defense position he has chosen
the Pusan beachhead on
small perimeter not larger than
46 miles.
| Communist Pact
The campaign in Korea is sup.
posed to be a United Nations. not
a United States. affair. Yet, with
the exception of few warships
and air wings provided by Britain
and Australia, there is little likeli-
hood for months yet that other re-
Inducements will reach our hard
pressed forces in the peninsula.
The State Department has We
toed the offer of Chang Kai-shek
to send 10000 to 10000 we'll
trained troops to Korea. The argu-
ment set forth is that such an
action would inevitably bring the
Chinese Communists into the war
on the side of the Korean Com
munists. From a military point
of view this is very thin argu-
ment.
Last January a mutual assist
ance pact was signed in Moscow
between the U. S. S. R.. Red China
! and North Korea. This pact pro-
vides that in the case of an ag-
gression the three contracting
powers will support each othel
with all the means at their dis
posal. Moscow already has estab
ished for its purposes that we art
the aggressors and the invasion o.
South Korea was defensive &C.
ton prompted by the aggressive.
ness of the Seoul government.
| In the event of a North Korean
defeat. the Red Chinese troops
may enter the battle on the basis
| Of the mutual-assistance pact.
Hence the arguments of the State
Department that we must keep
| the Nationalist forces out of this
campaign seem superfuous.
Political Factors
From the military point of view
it would be a great help to have
some 10000 American-trained
Chinese troops land in the rear
of the Korean Reds. This would
radically change the situation.
Gen. Macarthur is said by Wash
ington officials to oppose such
help because of the danger of a
Communist invasion of Formosa.
Whether this is the real thought
of the supreme commander in
the Far East is debatable. Gen.
Macarthur has a wide latitude
to make tactical and strategic de-
decisions. But he must keep a
watchful eye on Washington when
political matters are involved. His
recent visit to Formosa, made on
the basis of overall directives from
President Truman, caused con-
Germ in the State Department.
President Truman, Secretary OF
State Dean Acheson and Mr.. Tru-
mans new diplomatic co-ordina-
tor, Ambassador Averell Hartman
hastened to reassure the British
government that our policies re-
garding the Nationalist regime in
Formosa had not been affected
by the visit. These assurances
were considered necessary in view
of the fact that London still courts
the Peiping government even
though Mao Tae-tung has in
solently rejected the recognition
of his regime by Britain.
The Soviet bloc is not concerned
over the verbal support given by
other United Nations members to
the American fighting forces. But
it would be concerned If a portion
of the army of 100000 Chinese
Nationalists now on Formosa were
to intervene in the crucial battle
now being fought in Korea.
European Situation
The cold fact is that the best
trained American troops are now
being severely hammered. BY the
time the reserves and National
Guard units have had at least
three months combat training,
the regulars are likely to suffer
severe losses. And by that time
the big man in the Kremlin may
have pushed another button,
either in Iran or Germany. Our
commitments would necessitate