Evening star., 1950-10-20
Truman Raps Critics,
Says Wake, Formosa
Are Closed incidents
BY Joseph A. Fox


the Wake Island conference be-
tween President Truman and Gen.
Macarthur is most emphatically
closed incident. so far as the
Chief Executive is concerned.
With evident heat, the Presi-
dent made this clear at news
conference late yesterday, when
he met reforters for the first time
since his trip to the Pacific.
A newsman asked the one ques-
ton that was on everybody S
mind:
Are you in complete agreement
with Gen. Macarthur on For
mosa?"
Obviously anticipating such a
query, the President teed off.
Lashes Out at Critics.
Telling the questioner some
thing he said was good for his
soul, Mr.. Truman asserted it was
q pity that columnistS and re-
porters representing certain press
service couldn't understand the
ideas of two Intellectually honest
men when they meet.
1t was made clear at the White
House later that the President did
not refer to the Associated Press.
Gen. Macarthur, he continued,
Is the commander in chief in the
Far East: is a member of the Gov
ernment and is loyal to that Gov
ernment. and is loyal to the Presi-
dents foreign policy. The Presi-
dent wished lot of the papers
were likewise.
Then, said Mr.. Truman, there is
no disagreement with Gen. Mac
Arthur. He ampllf1ed his state
ment to say that Formosa was set
tied a month or five weeks ago.
He had reference to his action in
causing Gen. Macarthur to with
%draw a statement to the Veterans
of Foreign Wars which said For
mosa could not be permitted to
fall into unfriendly hands. The
administration stand is that
Formosa's future is up to the
United Nations.
Decision Reached.
Amplifying further, the Presi-
dent said he went to the Pacific
to get Gen. MacArthur's views on
a Japanese peace treaty and on
the rehabilitation of Korea. A
decision was reached. he said.
Gen. Macarthur, he concluded,
said their conference was one of
the most successful he ever at
tended. The President concurred.
That. of course, didn't answer
the original question, but the
President, who was chuckling
after his f1are-up, brushed off eff
forts to press him further.
Asked if we would defend For
mosa from Red assaults until the
U. N. decided its future Mr.. Tru-
man said that bridge would be
crossed when we came to it.
Somewhat paradoxically, the
Presidents lecture was aimed at
an old friend, Edward A. Harris,
of the st. Louis Post Dispatch, a
paper which has often differed
with the President politically, but
goes along with his foreign policy.
After the incident, Mr.. Truman
said that nothing personal was in
volved.
Asked if Gen. Macarthur ex-
pressed a desire to retire, the
President said he did not. The
general is happy in his job and
wants to complete it. and Mr..
Truman is happy that he does, he
said.
The President said in this con-
nection that he assumes Gen.
Macarthur is thinking about the
negotiation of a japanese peace
treaty. In a colloquy on this issue,
he said he was anxious to see
work actually started on the
treaty, but that II nations are in
volved in that. Preliminary nego-
tiations are under way now.
Calls Martin Mistaken.
AS the conference moved into
other fields, the President said
that Senator Martin, Republican,
of Pennsylvania was mistaken in
charging that the administration
was delaying wage and price con-
trolls until after the election. Alb
solving the Senator of vicious
intent, and describing him as a
fine gentleman, the President said
the delay was occasioned by in
ability to get the right men to
administer the program. Revert
ing to an old theme, he said men
were unwilling to enter the Gov
ernment to have characters assas-
sinated and their private lives ex-
posed to the public.