Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1950-12-14
| Might Be
Wrong-B But
By
P. G. STROMBERG

pOoeu HuHlDcT Oh questions re-
garding our unfortunate position
in Korea. These questions were
naturally based on doubt as to
decisions of our civil and mill
tary leaders. Reactions from peo-
pie have been, with one excep-
ton, entirely in the affirmative.
So much so that men and women
for whom l hold high regard
have even urged me to be more
specific in an analysis of the
Korean situation.
To be critical of our national
leaders in the time of crisis is
far from ideal. Yet to remain
silent is worse when ones ex-
preston might aid in moulding
public opinion insistent upon
changing our course. There are
many who have doubted from the
start that we should ever have
been in Korea at all. There are
those who felt that token assist
ance of the South Koreans,
through air and naval support
would have saved Americas face
Gf there was any face saving
needed) so far as principle is in
volved. There are few who be-
lieve that we should have sent
our land forces into Korea. Hav-
ing done so, however, a bright
page of American military his
tory was written with the land
ing at Inchon which, at the time,
lightened our mental anguish.
From there, however, when the
job of driving the Communists
back across the 18th parallel was
completed, American ground
forces should have pulled up and
proven to the world that it was
truly a policing job. Prestige?
Yes! And from there we could
have withdrawn our troops from
Korea. We would have saved
thousands of American lives;
we would have saved millions of
dollars in materiel and supplies !;
we would have avoided the terri
bic losses being inflicted on our
boys in their retreat southwark
before the hordes of Chinese
Reds; we would have maintained
a far greater degree of conf
dence among non-Communist
countries and, most of all, we
would have covered the original
mistake with glory and would
today not face terrible military
setback with the possible loss of
that which we have spent several
billions of dollars to establish
i.e., the rehabilitation of war
torn Europe with all the western
powers Joined as one in an anti
Communist front.
We Americans insist on find
ing "a goat" upon whom res
possibility can be placed. So
long as General Macarthur was
doing a tip top job in administer
ing the affairs of Japan he was
a national hero. He continued
to be national hero during our
progress in Korea. No sooner,
however, did we face setback
then many tried to pin the res
possibility on him. 1t should be
noted, however, that national
magazine has quoted General
Macarthur as saying even be-
fore we invaded Korea, "Any-
one who engages the U. S. Army
on the mainland of Asia should
have his reason examined" 1t
was only a short time after this
statement was made that our
troops landed in Korea. Did
General Macarthur change his
mind or did he follow instruc-
tons from Washington? If
General Macarthur can not be
made the goat it naturally fol-
lows that the Responsibility must
rest in Washington. And if that
responsibility rests in Washing
ton it must rest with the Presi-l
dent, the Secretary of State and
our Chiefs of Staff. If the res
possibility doesn't rest with.
these officials are we to assumel
that the United Nations gave in
structions? If that be true then
the United States should insist
that other members of UN pro-
vide at least proportinate share
of any military action in any
part of the world.
We do want peace but not
peace at any price and surely we
don't want peace at the price of
being eternally at war trying to
convince the world that we want