Evening star., 1950-06-29
Formoso and Our Asiotic Line

Although overShadowed by his orders for
direct American military Intervention to save
Southern Korea, the Presidents moves regarding
Formosa, the Philippines and Indo- China are
not less significant in their own way, than the
armed action now being taken to stop the
Kremlin's puppet Korean invaders and drive
them back to the 38th parallel.
In effect, these moves-considered either in
conjunction with or apart from the action in
korea-serve notice on the Soviet Union that
the United States has drawn a definite line in
continental Asia and among the islands of the
Far Pacific against any new aggression by the
Russians or their satellites. In its essence, the
development which has been welcomed by the
entire free world-represents the formation of
kind of Gordon sanitaire" to prevent the
further aggressive spread of Kremlin- controlled
communism in that part of the globe.
As far as the continent is concerned Pres
ident Truman has made clear that the line
wholly apart from Korea-has been drawn be-
tween Red China and Indo- China In the latter
country, France and the Associated States of
Wet Nam, Laos and Cambodia are to receive
accelerated armaments aid from u.s. and
special American military mission Is to be as
signed to work closely with them to stop the
Communist forces of Ho Chi Mimi What, this
amounts to, in substance, is a warning to the
men OF the Kremlin that the United States
Is throwing its weight behind the effort to
prevent them from seizing control, through Ho
and the Chinese Reds, of the gateway to South
east Asia.
AS for the islands of the Far Pacific pro-
tectlve measures against Communist aggression
have been set in motion by the Presidents
orders on the Philippines and Formosa The
Philippines action involves two important moves:
\ a Stn iIoo of S,oi1it
Quirino government and CD a strengthening OF
our forces at the bases we are maintaining
there in keeping with special treaty Equally
important-and much more dramatic in that
1t involves direct commitment of our naval
power to possible battle in the near future
with the Chinese Reds-is the directive to the
7th Fleet under the overall command of
General Macarthur, ito prevent any attack on
Formosa," which is now held by the remnants
OF Generalissimo Chiang's regime
OF all these Asiatic moves beyond Korea
the Formosa decision is certainly the most
spectacular. It represents reversal of policy
Not many months ago, the President and Secre-
tary Acheson turned thumbs down on sugges-
tions that we should send naval forces, if neces-
sary, to prevent the Chinese Communists from
taking the island In reversing that policy.
however, the President has not committed him
Nationalist rule of Chang Kai-shek. On the
contrary, in connection with directing the 7th
Fleet to protect Formosa, he has called upon
the Generalissimo, who has assented, to end
air and sea operations against the Chinese
mainland and thus deactivate his forces for the
time being at least AS for the islands future,
and implicitly the political future of Chang,
that is something, according to Mr. Truman,
that depends on events yet to come, including
such things as japanese treaty and action
by the United Nations.
Meanwhile, regardless of what may or may
not happen to Generalissimo Chang, Formosa
will be one of the key points in the Asiatic
defensive. line of the United States and the free
world as whole. If they try to breach that
line with the criminal tactics they are employ
ing in Korea, the Kremlin and its puppets will
find themselves up against forces determined
to stand firm even at the risk of war. At any
rate, that is the sum of our American position:
Even at the risk of war-right now.