Evening star., 1950-07-01
Time to Stop Kidding

Inc new moves WHICH have pcCl iAdoc Wy
this country in the Korean fighting are as
logical as they were inevitable.
1t can be seen now that it was wishful
thinking to suppose that the South Korean
forces could muster an effective opposition with
limited air and naval support 1t was not sound
doctrine to confine our air blows to targets
south of the 38th parallel And it was unreal
istic to restrict the scope Of naval action.
So now the wraps are off. American ground
troops are fighting in Korea and more are on
the way. The Air Force is bombing installations
in North Korea, and the Navy has been told to
blockade the entire Korean coast.
These measures were necessary. Having
gone to the aid of South Korea, having COM
mitted part of our military forces it became
essential to see the thing through We went
into Korea to uphold the arm of the United
Nations and to demonstrate that we would not
stand aside in the face of aggression. 1t was
necessary to do this in order to prevent the
free world from going to the Communists by
default. Having taken the initial step, however,
it Is even more necessary to go the limit now.
We simply cannot afford to lose this test in
Korea, and it is becoming clearer every day that
we will lose 1t If we rely on half-measures.
In this situation 1t seems to The Star that a
new approach should be taken to this business.
It is time to stop kidding ourselves. On Thursday
the President authorized reporters to quote him
when he said that we are not at war, that we
are merely fighting police action. That Is a
business-as- usual approach to a matter of the
utmost gravity. OF course we are at war in all
but the formal sense. At the moment it is
small war. But 1t may get bigger, and, at the
least, it is going to be protracted, arduous
struggle. 1t is not fair to the Americans who are
fighting, and who will be dying, in Korea to
ar fho hot ic
minor incident.
1t is time for the President to put the cards
on the table. During the first few days, when
there was still some hope that the South Koreans
could be reorganized and encouraged to fight,
Mr.. Truman was justified in acting first and
talking later. The war was not going WYATT on
the normally slow processes Of democracy. Time
was the critical factor, and it was both his right
and his duty to make the best use of those crit
ical hours.
But that stage has been passed. It seems
evident that we can hope for little, if anything,
from the South Korean army. We are no longer
in the position of giving limited assistance to
victim of aggression. This has become an
American fight, and we are the ones who will
have to see it through.
AS first step, the President should report
to Congress. Much OF the information that has
been given out is not worthy of belief The
people OF this country have right to know
what the facts are, and the President is the one
who should tell them. It seems to The Star
that Mr.. Truman should also give an estimate
OF the things to come. All through this business
we have been Jump behind the game, and it
looks as though we are still tagging. The chances
are that even the new measures which have been
taken are not going to be enough to bring
victory in Korea. What more needs to be done
there? And what should we be doing in this
country to support the effort in Korea and to
guard against the possible consequences? Let's
stop talking about police actions, and find out
where we really stand and where we are going.