Evening star., 1950-12-05
Have They Made Up Their Minds?

AS our American and allied United Nations
forces continue to reel under the relentless blows
of Red China's massive armies in Korea, grim
efforts are being made in many quarters to keep
the situation from exploding into a general world
war; One can only speculate on whether or not
the efforts will succeed. All anybody can be sure
of right now is that they ought to be carried out
If there is still chance that some good may
flow from them
With the Truman-Attlee talks emphasizing
the gravity Of the crisis, the United States-in
concert with Cuba, Ecuador, Norway, France and
Britain-has appealed to the General Assembly
to deal with the Chinese Communist aggression
as matter demanding urgent attention The
purpose of this move, presumably, is to get the
overwhelming majority of the Assembly to adopt
q resolution similar to the one vetoed in the
Security Council by Soviet Russia resolution
designed to have most Of the world unite in
sxerting pressure for peace by calling upon Red
Peiping to withdraw its forces from Korea and
by assuring 1t at the time that its legitimate
interests will be fully protected
Meanwhile as another example of the ef-
forts being made to avert a world war, u N. Sec
retary General Trygve Lie has just played host at
dinner meeting attended by four of Red China's
representatives and by representatives of Israel,
Sweden, Pakistan, India and Britain. Mr. Lies
objective has been to find out whether the stu
"VAo1i edu NC uleuldIeQ ana the Crisis ended by
an honorable political settlement India's Sir
Bengal N Rau has been trying to find out the
same thing in number of conversations with WI
Hsiu-chuan, Peiping's chief mouthpiece before
the United Nations. At the moment there are
no clear indications as to whether any progress
has been made along this line
AS far as surface appearances are concerned.
however, there is little or no reason to be opti-
mistic The Chinese Communists are engaged in
large-scale warfare against the United Nations.
and their positlon-as presented last week to the
Security Councils that they will continue on
their present course unless and until the u NJ
admits Red China as member, applies sanctions
against the United States for criminal acts of
aggression" brings about the withdrawal of our
forces from Formosa 1--WE have A individuals
over there), and acts to get American and all
other foreign troops out Of Korea, leaving the
Koreans to settle their own affairs If these
demands still stand, how is mediation possible?
Actually, of course, the outcome of all cur
rent attempts TO find q solution through an
honorable political settlement depends primarily
on the men OF the Kremlin The crucial question
Ia whether or not they have already made up
their minds, in q conspiracy with Peiping, to
keep on with what they are doing If they have
not then diplomacy-as distinguished from ap-
peaSement- may succeed In ending the crisis
On the other hand, II they have decided that the
1res world must capitulate to their terms then
the war Is already on and will almost certainly
run It's course far beyond Korea regardless of the
effort to save what little is now left of the peace