Evening star., 1951-05-06

war-making power in Western
Europe. What. in your opinion
is the combat strength of Russia
in the Far East, if she should de-
eide to come to the assistance o1
the Red Chinese, keeping in mind
the fact that she wouldn't let he1
other front become unduly weak
ened.
Gen. Macarthur - The assist
ance is definitely limited. should
say that the main help that Rus
sia could supply would be in the
air. =. Just how great that would
be, would be speculative, but as
compared with the potential
strength that she could exert in
Europe, it would be a very small
percentage in fraction thereof.
Senator Morse-And you think
she could use either paratroopers
or amphibious landings without
warning attack on the airfields of
Japan, and thereby weaken us in
that bastion?
Gen. MacArthur-T don't think
there is any question that she
could put in Furnishing attacks on
Japan. Whether she could make
a definite landing, would be very
doubtful as long as we retained
control of the sea and the air,
1t would only be of a predatory
character.
Senator Morse-And you think
general, that she has the present
power, as far as armed ground
forces are concerned, to take
rather easily the Island of Hok-
Ikaido, General?
Gen. MacArthur-She might be
able to make a landing on Hok-
kaldo. She might be able to estab-
llsh a bridgehead there, but I don t
think she would even make the
attempt. On that score it leads no
place unless her objective would
be on the Kanoya Field in the
main island of Honshu; I don't
believe it would be more than a
predatory attack at best.
Hokkaido Would Be Untenable.
Senator Morse. Would Hokkaido
be Of benefit to her with respect
to both submarine and air bases?
Gen. MacArthur-I am quite
sure she could not maintain either
until she had cleared the rest of
Japan. From other air bases in
Japan, it would be quite untenable.
Senator Morse-General, could a
sudden attack so disrupt our air
bases and naval facilities in
Japan that the 9th Army in Korea
might be cut off from an evacua-
ton of Korea in case Russia
should come down from the north
along the line that I have indi-
Gated in my previous questions?
Gen. MacArthur-Do I think
they could cut our supply lines?
I think they could increase the
difficulty of supply very markedly
by submarine attack, but that they
could cut off our troops there and
have a debacle, I don't believe for
a minute. ." I don't believe
they have the naval power to sue
cessfully conSummate such an at
tack.
Senator Morse. Do you
think that the Soviet Union pos
sesSes the capability of mounting
an immediate air and submarine
blockade to the extent-in Korea
that the position Of the 9th
Army in Korea would be seriously
jeopardized and prevent it's evac-
uation, if necessary?
Gen. MacArthur-No, sir.
Senator Morse-You do not ac-
cept, then, the point of view that
one reads sometimes that at the
present time the Russian air
power is so great in Asia that if
it made frontal attack on our
Navy and our Air Forces, it would
do such great damage to both our
Navy and Air Force as to make
it necessary for us to withdraw
from Korea.
Gen. MacArthur-I believe they
would have great difficulty in
handling, and I know they
couldn't handle our Navy as it is
presently constituted, as we have
under such a global condition as
that.
Just how much force the Soviet
would be willing to pour into that
area is quite problematical. If the
Soviet launches global war, there
are other sectors I am sure that
would be more sensitive and of
more immediate attack than any,
thing out in the Far East.
Coe@~I D~~.Iu~nL~~