Evening star., 1951-06-28
Policy Of Hesitoncy Stirs
Doubts on Peace in Asia
Administration Still Waiting
To See Whot Russiu Will Do
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

The Macarthur hearings before the
Senate Foreign Relations and Armed
Services Committees have been con-
cluded and Russia's Jacob Malik has
proposed "cease-flre" in Korea. The
administration is still waiting to see
what Russia is going to do next.
That, to put it bluntly is what the
administration has been doing ever since
the beginning Of the Korean war a year
ago. Its hesitant policy. which has pre-
vented any all-out attempt to win the
war in Korea, as Gen. Macarthur ad-
vocated, leaves in considerable doubt
whether this country will win the peace
in the Far East, If hostilities in the field
come to an end.
Secretary Of State Acheson has in
dicated that he will consider a victory
has been won If the ante bellum situa-
tion, with the South Koreans in charge
below the 38th Parallel and the Com
munists having all the territory above
that line, Is re-established. The ag-
greSsors, he maintains, will have been
repulsed. In measure this is true. But
the cost to the South Koreans, to the
United States and other members of the
United Nations will have been great.
Unless some means is found to make q
second aggression, directed toward South
Korea, an improbability. the victory will
have been idle. @5r
Draft Report on Macarthur.
In the meantime the Senate Commit
tees are sitting down to draft their re-
port-or reports-on the Macarthur dis
m1ssal from his commands in the Far
East, on the conduct of the war in Korea
and the administrations Far East poll
cies.
There has never been any question as
to the Presidents power to remove Gen,
Macarthur. The only question has been
the wisdom OF his act. On that the
committee is likely to be strongly d.
vided. The conduct Of the war lii Korea
Is intimately bound up with MacArthur,s
removal, since he believed in taking
greater measures to win the war than
did the administration.
Here. too, the committee viii in all
probability be divided. Some Of the
members will take the position that the
administrations program has been
based too much on fear and uncertainty.
Fear that adoption Of the course urged
by Gen. Macarthur would lead to an
other world war, and again, uncertainty
regarding what Soviet Russia would do,
The United Nations. If it agrees to a
cessation Of hostilities, as proposed in
his slurring and roundabout way by
Malik, should be in a position to make
terms with the Reds that give some as
surance of peace won. The Chinese
Reds have failed utterly In their boast
that they would drive the u N. forces
into the sea: they have lost a great
number Of men and much material. De.
cidedly they are in no position to die.
tate terms of peace.
But what will be the attitude Of the
administration? Will it again be af-
fected by fear and uncertainty Of what
Russia will do? Or having shown Russia
that this country is ready to meet ag-
gression with force, will it begin to make
It's influence felt in q concrete way?
Policy Of Uncertainty.
The Macarthur investigation by Sen.
ate committees has brought to the at
tention of the American people the poll
Icy OF uncertainty which has emanated
from Washington, although that did not
seem necessary in view Of the constantly
reiterated statements by the highest off,
cialS Of the Government that this
country was in no position to 60 to
war with Russia-and therefore it was
necessary not to do anything which
might provoke such a war.
The Macarthur investigation also has
laid before the people the military
strategy urged by Gen. Macarthur, for
use in Korea and against the Chinese
Reds, and alongside it, the strategy
insisted on by the President, Secretary
of Defense Marshall and the Joint
Chiefs Of Staff. AS a military genius,
Gen. Macarthur is outstanding. OBJ
viously. from the testimony, the only
reason his strategy was not adopted lay
in the fear that it might spread the
war-that Russia would enter the strug-
gle. Therefore, so far as victory in the
Korean war was concerned, the Mac
Arthur program was tops from q
military standpoint.
1t has been impossible for the ad.
ministration to belittle Gen. Macarthur.
try as 1t has. II the war continues, the
administration will be forced to adopt
the recommendations of Gen. Mac
Arthur to end the fighting with victory
OR it will have to abandon the war in
Korea. If the fighting continues for
many months more, the people will
demand that the fiction we are not at
war with Red China be abandoned,
Questions and Answers