Evening star., 1950-07-02
Loss Of Korea Means Losing Face
Our Prestige in Asia
Hangs on Outcome Of
Bottle With Reds
By Clarke Beech

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rea will control all of North
Asia"
It was the traditional bastion,
like Bohemia in Europe - the
target of would-be conquerors,
the corridor of invading armies.
It lay at the heart of a triangle.
with one point on Japan. an
other on North China and the
upper point of Russia.
Invaders from the mainland
first sought to take Korea be-
fore attempting an assault on
Japan. And the Japanese
thought of Korea as a platform
from which to launch any at
tack on China and Russia.
It is an easily defended area.
hemmed in by the high, ever
white mountains at the north
ern border of North Korea. 1t
has several large, deep harbors.
1t was a good place for invad-
ing armies to form and console
date their positions for the next
advance.
Korea has become once again
a focal point for military strate-
gists. But not for the same
reason 1t used to be. Military
experts say that today it has
relatively little intrinsic military
Importance. Air fields are their
main consideration. Korea has
some air fields. But communism
already is well equipped with
fields in that general region.
Asia Watches
To have Communist planes in
South Korea would make Unit
ed States bases in Japan, Oki-
nawa and the Philippines some-
what harder to defend. And the
Korean harbors would provide
bases for the submarines and
surface craft of a Communist
feet. But there are already
other Communist naval bases
in the general area. If the
Communists got South Korea,
said one expert, they would just
have more of the same"
The chief reason that con-
tinued independence of Korea is
now deemed of the utmost inn
portance to United States Sc
curity is psychological. All Asia
is waiting to see what happens
to the Koreans in their struggle
against Communist aggression.
New nations. like Burma. Indo-
nesia, India and Pakistan are
all threatened by the advanc-
ing Reds. Indo- China wavers
in the balance. Thailand's fu-
ture depends on what happens
to her neighbors. The con-
quered people Of China are
watching. They all want to see
If the great power in the West
ern World is going to be able
to save South Korea from cap
ture by the Reds.
If Korea cannot be held, many
a politician in those Asiatic
lands will begin to hop on the
Communist bandwagon, say the
experts on Asia. They quote
an old Oriental proverb:
"The leaves in the street al
ways drift in the direction
toward which the wind is blow
ing"
Millions Of people, now deeply
stirred by the current wave of
nationalism and earnestly hop
ing to maintain their independ-
ence. will lose faith in the power
of the Western colossus if Korea
falls. Russia's great North
American antagonist, who alone
can save them. will 'lose face"
That business of closing face"
is a funny phrase among Amer
leans, but in the Orient it is a
word of terrible portent.
Loss of Korea also might be
the beginning of the end for
the United Nations. the organi-
zation on which the Western
World has staked its best hopes
for peace. The United Nations
has firmly forbidden the rape
of South Korea, If the COM
mand of the U. N. is scorned,
it, too. will lose face.
Cairo Decision
Americas fate became in
volved with that of Korea in
1943 when at the Cairo con-
ference the United States. the
United Kingdom and China de-
clared that .'in due course
Korea shall become free and
independent" At Potsdam in
1945 this declaration was re-
affirmed. and Russia also ad-
hered to it.
Russia and the United States
then agreed to send in occupa-
ton forces temporarily, each to
be responsible for the areas
north and south. respectively,
of the 38th parallel of latitude.
Meanwhile, a provisional gov
ernment was to be set up for
all of Korea.
After that the Russians began
to back down on all their talk
about allowing the Northern
Koreans to become independ-
ent. When the time came for
a free election under United
Nations auspices, the Russians
would have nothing to do with
it. The U. N. representatives
were not even allowed into the
northern area. The U. N. super
vised a free election in the
II u.