Evening star., 1950-12-03

The Chinese Communist aggres-
sion in North Korea and the bit
ter upset of a dream for a COM
paratively peaceful Christmas
shattered complacent minds. Not
all those minds seemed to know
what had hit them or what to do
about it.
What happened in, and to, this
city forced immediate changes in
aim and action. Some of the
changes changed daily If not
hourly. They sometimes ratified
off in several directions at once.
A week ago today Washington
people talked mostly Of blast in
Bethesda electric power Sub
station and of snow that blanketed
this city only lightly without bliz-
yards which brought many other
communities to standstill. Worry
hinged mainly on Thanksgiving
holiday travellers getting back to
their desks here on Monday.
News dispatches from Korea on
the previous day told how the
enemy seemed to be rallying for
some counter attack blasts against
Gen. MacArthur's end-the-war
offensive.
Cruel cold still seemed the ma
jor obstacle In the path Of the
United Nations forces. But thanks
already seemed appropriate that
soldiers would be out of the flght-
ing-or did somebody say home
by Christmas.
Start of Bad News
Sunday speculation dwelt on the
predicted nothing" brief ses-
sion of the 81st Congress. sched-
uled to convene the following day.
No appreciable apprehension came
with further reports that Chinese
and North Korean Reds were
spreading over the northwest
countryside of Korea.
But a 3 am. bulletin showed the
opposition was mounting into
something more serious than a
last desperate counterattack by a
repeatedly weary, discredited and
thoroughly whipped enemy. The
bulletin made only q few final
editions for Sunday.
BY Monday q real-but not the
full-crisis was evident here. A
South Korean Army corps had
been routed and hurled back 20
miles in a two-day retreat. Pen
tagon officials and military dis
patches conceded that this prob
ably would scrap the end -the-war
by Christmas idea. None indicated
it might cause a complete rout,
trapping or threatening huge ele-
ments of divisions and armies.
Congress met at noon, lame
ducks and all. "All' is not quite
accurate, because little more than
100 House members answered the
first roll call. And Senator Taft,
who swamped his Democratic op-
ponent in Ohio by more than 400,-
900 votes November Z, was snow
bound in Ohio.
Congress heard President Tru-
mans request for prompt passage
of must" Observation-Disclosures
for Alaska and Hawaii. new bill
lions for defense and atomic
weapons, emergency aid for Tito's
Yugoslavia. rent control extension
and tax legislation.
The convivial atmosphere of
congratulations or pleasant con-
dolences fell momentarily by the
wayside-or rather in the cramped
quarters where the Senate is
meeting until completion of dec
orative work in the main chamber
But Korea came into the squabble
only incidentally.
China Reds at u. N.
When Republican Leader
Wherry served notice he would
continue attacks on Secretary OF
State Acheson. whom he accused
of operating q one-man foreign
policy" Chairman Connally Of the
Foreign Relations Committee re-
torted:
"All this talk of bipartisanshir
and consulting the Republican,
to hell with that"
The only mention Of the atomic
bomb came, not in connection with
congressional comments on Korea,
but from the Cleveland meeting of
| the National Council of Churches.
The Right Rev. Angus Dun, Epis-
copal Bishop of Washington, sub
mitted committee statement
that the United States would be
justified in using its atomic
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