Evening star., 1951-01-11
Soldering for a Livelihood

Soldering for a Livelihood
Since events have proved the accuracy of
much of the information gathered by the in
telligence agencies serving the Chang Kai-shek
government, there is good reason to take seri-
ously the Nationalist report from Formosa that
Chinese Communist troops are now being moved
in way that indicates plans for push into
Indo-China
Possibly the timetable for such push may
be upset by developments in Korea, where a
protracted delaying action by our American and
allied United Nations forces may succeed in in
flicting on the massive Chinese armies toll
heavy enough-in terms of men and MATERIAL
to make Peping revise its schedule for aggression
elsewhere in Asia. But this is only possibility,
not a probability Red China, after all, has so
many troops in uniform that it seems capable
even though its limited equipment may be de-
terring factor-of launching simultaneous at
tacks at several widely separated points.
Actually, the vast numbers of Chinese troops
is phenomenon of Sorts and it has been for
many years past Aside from its military mean
ing, moreover, it is phenomenon that can be
attributed In part-or at least could be at one
time-to kind of economic necessity Thus,
early in 1946, when General Marshall's media
ton efforts seemed to be succeeding, a solemn
agreement was signed by the Nationalsts and
the Communists not merely to merge their forces
into single army but also to effect drastic
reduction, over period of 18 months, in the
size of their forces-from a total of about
100000 men down to something like 1000 O00
When the agreement was announced, however,
4. and when the outlook for peace in China ap-
peared to be rather bright, a number of observers
expressed doubt that the reduction would be
made. That doubt was not based solely on dis
hall i,a {1.@ R&sA
based in no small measure on the feeling that
such action would be slow in coming, if it came
at ALL because it would throw millions of individ-
uals out of work, depriving them of their jobs as
soldiers without offering them means of civilian
employment-a condition conducive to serious
internal unrest.
At about the time of the agreement, the
doubt as to its fulflllment was well expressed
in dispatch sent to the London Times by its
Shanghai correspondent, who wrote as follows:
Nor is it certain that with the cessation of the
civil war the Nanking government would cancel
its orders for extreme CONSUMPTION. In spite of
criticisms, that measure has to be regarded as
form of unemployment insurance If the swollen
armies are to be demobilized, work has to be
found for large masses of disbanded troops
This is possible only if agriculture and industry
can find profitable markets, and there is little
chance of such employment being found in the
situation reigning today" In other words owing
to the fact that predominantly agrarian China
had no farm jobs to offer and was too under
developed industrially to provide factory oppor-
tunities the only means of livelihood for millions
OF the countrys young men was to join and stay
In the army
This situation still obtains, and it is likely
to continue for long time to come in view of
the decades Of effort needed to industrialize
China on large scale. Accordingly, with the
Chinese Communists in control and bent on a
course of aggression, what we are faced with
here is land where soldering for great num-
bers OF men is literally matter of making
living. Regardless of their political beliefs-and
most of them probably know little or nothing
about Marxism or Stalinism-these men depend
on the army for shelter and sustenance of a
sort they cannot get elsewhere. Hence war as
way OF life, as a job in a country that has no
other jobs to offer, must seem to them more or
less natural
The tragedy implicit in all this is twofold
First, 1t gives the Communists a firm grip on
massive armies which might otherwise be diff
cult to hold together for long program of
aggression in Asia. Beyond that, it deprives
China of the young manpower it needs for eco
nomic progress in the form of both agricultural
improvement and industrial development The
thing is vicious circle: The lack of military
jobs makes millions content to be soldiers, but
as long as so many of them are thus employed
the country will be hard put to build a job
creating civilian economy. The situation OBJ
vlously initiates against peace in the Far East.