Evening star., 1950-12-06
Pentagon Discusses
New Defense Line
Or Port 'ToehoIds'
By John A. Giles

While defense officials admitted
today that the situation of United
Nations ground forces in Korea
was very grave" there was grow
ing talk at the Pentagon of es-
tablishing line or retaining at
least a few precarious toeholds
around port cities.
Presumably such beachheads
would be around cities like Pusan,
from which the U. N. forces
moved northward weeks ago, and
1nchon, through which Marines
and soldiers landed te launch
their offensive.
One high official privately saw
scant hope that diplomatic nego-
tiations can change warning Red
China's mind. But neither he, nor
others, appeared to have anything
resembling sure plall for stem
ming with Allied arms alone the
tidal wave Of a million-man Chi
nese Army.
While reports from London
spokes Of the need to begin the
evacuation of all troops from the
peninsula before they are pulver-
lied or captured, a statement by
Gen. Bradley last night appeared
to throw cold water on such a
move.
The statement Of the Joint
Chiefs Of Staff chairman left a
suggestion that while at least one
evacuation move in northeast
Korea was imminent, the troops
there might be shifted to help
hold elsewhere.
The general issued his state
ment after Senator quoted him
at telling congressional COM
mittee in unrecorded testimony
that Withdrawals of U. N. troops
In recent days had put them in a
position so that they could be
evacuated if necessary.
Evacuation Complex Job.
Zone report seems to indicate
that I stated that a 'Dunkirk'
plan Is set, and that Withdrawals
by U. N. troops have now made
1t possible to evacuate them if
the defense line cannot be held
in Korea" Gen. Bradley stated.
ANY reference I made to evacua-
ton was in connection with the
hard-pressed troops in the ex-
treme northeast sector which are
now moving back to a concentra-
ton in a beachhead.
ANY reports other than this
are misleading and merely specu-
lation."
Evacuation of all the 100000
men in Korea would be a COM
plex operation which could be
very costly if Red China decided
to throw in air and sea units.
While the Reds surface navy
is negligible, they are known to
have several submarines.
Threat From Red Air Force.
But the greatest menace might
come from the Chinese air force
which has been revitalized in the
last two years with the use of
Soviet-manufactured jet aircraft.
The Reds might use it to strike
at evacuation beachheads as well
as troop transports in the narrow
seas between Korea and Japan.
The Reds modern and efficient
tactical air arm is composed Of
several hundred" planes, off,
cials here state. The pilots are
fairly competent-nany of them
Chinese Nationalists who were
trained in the United States and
later went over to the Com
munists-and the rest trained in
Russia.
Ironically, too, the Red planes
would be flying off some Chinese
bases built by this country during
the last war.
But in any extended air war.
1t is believed here that the Red
air force would experience al
serious supply problem due to the
tremendous areas involved, lack
of a modern transportation sys-
TEN and the fact that virtually
all its supplies and aircraft re-
placement would have to be i'm
ported.