Evening star., 1951-05-05

during brief lull in the hearin
Of photographers.
Isn't it as vulnerable to Okinawa
and the other islands that we hold
as they would be from Formosa,
and why does the mere matter of
80 miles make SO much difference?
Gen. MacArthur-Because it gives
them another bastion, Senator. The
continental line there has a certain
but when you take it out
and put it here where it is i'm
mediately north of the Philippines,
Immediately south of Japan, you
give them the additional capacity
that goes with that.
You take their submarines will
go out here and cut these lines of
communication there. You have in
creased the. range by not only the
165 miles but you have this outpost
position here which is an entirely
different thing when you have got
this coastal area of defense.
You can mass here on Formosa,
you can probably mass between
two and three thousand planes in
a highly protected position, which
would increase the capacity by just
that much.
You could put submarine bases
in there on several of their harbors
which would introduce them right
into the middle of our line.
Haven for Submarines.
This is natural haven and bas-
ton for both submarines, naval
forces and airplaneS, and you place
them so close here that in order to
defend, you will have to triple,
quadruple or otherwise the forces
that we have, and we just CAM
maintain that much force with a
base 10000 miles away, where this
fellow has it right here.
1t is just as vital to our defense
as any bastion would be in the
middle of your line of any sort.
Senator RUSSELL am unalter-
ably opposed to surrendering For
moSa under any circumstances.
would even favor the use of the
veto in the United Nations, as long
as we have veto, before I would
be a party to surrendering it. But
I can not for the life of me, from
the standpoint of its strategic i'm
portance, understand why, with
those ports along the China main
land just a relatively short dis
tance from there, and airplanes
based on airf1elds on the China
mainland just back of there, it
would make such a tremendous
difference.
Gen. MacArthur-Only you have
the resources of a great nation OF
8 million people that will be- used
in supporting that air effort and
that naval effort. Formosa is an
enormously wealthy potential coun-
try agriculturally. The price you
put down there you would not have
to move in any supplies at all for
They could live off Formosa.
You have country there that in
population is stronger than both
Australia and The Netherlands put
together in that small concentrated
area. 1t could be made one of the
strongest bastions I know of. All
OF that resource would be available
If it fell into the enemy's hands
Agreement on FOrmosa.
Senator Knowland-Mr. Chair
man, at that point on Formosa,
May I ask the general is so far as
he knows any responsible naval
commander from Admiral Radford
to those who have served out in the
Far East disagree with the strategic
Importance of FormoSa?
Gen. MacArthur-I have known
every naval commander that has
operated in the Pacific for the last
10 years intimately, and most of
those which have operated in the
last 30 years, and there isn't a
single exception to it. And I can
add that there is not single ex-
ception to military and army COM
mander, or an air commander, that
I know of. -.
Senator Morse-I certainly think
we have to hold Formosa while we
are in this present crisis, but my
questions go to these problems be-
cause they involve the United Ma
tlonS' attitude.
We know that the Cairo agree
ment, entered into by the heads oil
the nations present at that confer
ence, gave Formosa to China, and
great Communist propaganda is
being made over that, of course
now. Is it not fair question for me
to ask you, if you agree with me
that that was great mistake at
Cairo?
Gen. MacArthur-T think that
any decision that was made that
would involve the possibility OF
Formosa falling into Red hands
would have been a grave mis-
take.
Should Be Kept from Reds.
Senator Morse-It was not given
to the generalissimo to become a
mandate of the United Nations inn
mediately upon his defeat, it was
given to China, if I understand the
Cairo agreement correctly .. The
Republic of China-whoever in
international, whatever form OF
government succeeded him.
Is it not true that we have this
problem in the United Nations
that some of our allies seem to be
of the opinion that Formosa ought
to be considered United Nations
issue rather than United States
issue, because even today we are in
there on unilateral action, not
United Nations action? And there
fore, it is alleged to be a subject
matter for United Nations negotia-
K