Evening star., 1950-11-04
The Threat in Korea

Although alarmiSt interpretations should be
read with considerable reserve at this juncture,
reports from the battle area make clear that our
American and allied United Nations forces have
run into trouble in North Korea Just how
serious this trouble is-whether it Is critical or
not-is a question that the somewhat confused
news dispatches have not yet answered, though
q spokesman at General MacArthur's Tokyo
headquarters has commented rather reassuringly
on the situation.
At the moment, the one thing we can be sure
of is that events temporarily at least-have
turned in favor of the criminal Communist ag-
gressors After long period of steady, victorious
advances, most of the u MS forces-some ele-
n1ents of which have been within days march
of the Manchurian border-have met with such
stiff and fiery resistance that they have been
obliged to make Withdrawals up to as much as
so miles. AS result, at one point in the theater
of action, the counterattacking Reds are now only
about At miles from their captured capital at
Pyongyang.
Considering that the North Koreans have
suffered casualties totaling in the 'neighborhood
of 33s, 900 men-including $4,000 taken prisoner
by the U. Nall this comes as highly dis
ouietng surprise. How is 1t that these shattered
enemy forces have suddenly been able to pull
themselves together and strike back with i'm
pressive power? A recent intelligence estimate
placed their full remaining strength at only
$4,000 men, and even though this figure has since
been revised sharply upward, it is not nearly
equal to what the United Nations has in the field
against them How has it happened then, that
they have managed to unleash their present
counterattack?
The answer-ominouSly enough-appears to
be that the Chinese Communists have crossed
the Yalu River from Manchuria into the battle
area. According to one estimate, the crossing
has been made by no fewer than 10000 OF them.
Described as crack troops making up the 42d
Corps of Red China's 9th Route Army, they
are said to be in action right now against the
United Nations Although this report has not
been officially confirmed in any respect, the in
dications are that there is more than a little
truth in it. When coupled with the fact that
Soviet-made jet planes have entered the picture
and that the U. MS forces have run into greatly
intensified frepower on the ground, 1t helps ex-
plain the sudden resurgence of the enemy In
North Korea.
The spokesman at Tokyo apparently has moi
been alarmed by that resurgence. Although
declaring that the United Nations is now in
major battle and that time will be required tx
smash the attackers, he has voiced the belle
that the enemy is engaged in large-scale de-
fensive action, not a commemorative, and tina
our American and allied forces still retain th'
initiative in North Korea as whole Presumably
this relatively optimistic view is based th
assumption that an abundance of Soviet-mad
equipment is not going to be thrown into battl
against the U. N. and that Red Chinas direc
Intervention will be strictly limited in size an
purpose, one objective possibly being to hol
on to power dams near the Manchurian border
But If this assessment of the situation turn
out to be wrong, if the Soviet arsenal continue
to support the aggressor and If Red China pour
ever-increasing numbers of troops across tn
Yalu River, the battle in North Korea may b
prolonged and intensified in way that coul
lead to an al-out war in Asia or to a total globs