Evening star., 1950-09-01
Pacific Munich Hinfed
In Truman S Words on
Fleet al Formosa
Did Macarthur Know
Of New Appeosement
Move? Writer Asks
By David Laurence

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governments and pave the way
for appeasement of Communist
China and its possible admission
to the Security Council of the
United Nations?
This question may well be
asked now in view of the start
ling announcement by President
Truman to his press conference
that, as soon as the Korean cpl
sode Is over. 1t would not be nee.
essary to keep the United State.
Navy's 7th Fleet in the Straits o1
Formosa. Mr.. Truman addec
that the presence of this fleet
in that position was just a flank
protection for our forces in Korea
This is not only an amazing
contradiction of the strategy
which the United States Joint
Chiefs of Staff cannot but have
developed for the protection OF
the Japan Okinawa Philippines
perimeter of our defense, but it is
a complete disavowal of the mill
tary views of Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur, recently given, as to the
Importance of defending FormoSa.
Coul.: Be Open Bid to Reds.
It is something even more i'm
portant-it could be construed by
the Chinese Communists as an
open invitation to them to occupy
Formosa, just as the American
pronouncement of last January
that our defense line didn't in
clude Korea gave announcement
to the Communists to march below
the 38th parallel.
Mr.. Truman's comment has sent
a shiver of apprehension through
certain quarters in Congress,
where it had been believed that
the United States was standing
firmly in the Far East and that
appeasement of Communist China
was unthinkable.
What is also disturbing is that
either the President has now pro-
jected himself as a military ex-
pert superior to his own Joint
Chiefs of Staff and to Gen. Mac
Arthur, or else that he is weaken
ing in favor of some State De-
partment chicanery to ease the
path of Great Britain and other
countries with commercial inter-
ests in the Far East who want to
continue to trade with and main
tain diplomatic relations with
Communist China.
The argument all along in some
quarters-especially in Communist
circles-has been that to defend
Formosa would entangle us in a
war with Communist China. The
opposite is true-failure to defend
Formosa after America has pub
licly declared that it doesn't be-
long to Communist China and
must be neutralized until the
treaty with Japan disposes of the
question of trusteeship may indeed
cause war with China. It could
come If the Communists, perceiv-
ing American weakness, started an
aggression similar to that in Korea,
only to be met by a sudden deci-
sion by the United States to throw
in sea forces to protect Formosa.
Did Macarthur Know?
It this why Gen. Macarthur
risked reprimand and spoke out
80 plainly on how important To the
defense of continental United
States the retention Of Formosa
in friendly hands appears to be?
Did Gen. Macarthur know of
the campaign Of appeasement 60
ing on in Washington, and did he
suspect that Formosa was to be
tossed over to the Communists? I?
Did he feel that, as a soldier and
as the man selected to represent
the United Nations in command
Of all the armed forces In the Far
East, he should speak out so that
the American people at least would
know about the scuttling policy
that might be under consideration
this very week?
It seems strange that Gen. Mac
Arthur would Just send out an In
discreet statement. It is more
logical to believe that he took the
risk because he thought fun
damental principle affecting the
Nations defenses was at stake. To
say that the State Department OF
the President alone can speak on
foreign policy" and that nobody
else should be allowed to speak,
even when a grave question OF
national defense is concerned, does
not explain away the strange cir
cumstances surrounding this epi-
Sode.
Whom did Gen. Macarthur have
in mind when he wrote this para
graph:
Nothing could be more falla-
cious than the threadbare argu-
ment by those who advocate ap-
peasement and defeatism in the
Pacific that if we defend For
mosa we ALLEVIATE continental
Asia"
Was MacArthur's statement a
last desperate attempt to ward of
another Munich in the Far East
a quick way to end the Korean
war by conceding to the Commu-
,nists what they have wanted from
the Observation-Disclosures to the
position of another veto in the
Security Council? If so, then
doesn't it seem that the appease-
ment should have begun on june
Is last? A lot of American boys
would be alive today and lots more
would not be suffering from the
grievous wounds they received as
a result Of the sudden decision tc
defend Korea two months ago.
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