Evening star., 1951-12-27
Poy-OH to Gunosters

snort or letting them languiSh In Jail for
the next three months the State Department
could hardly have taken any other course-at
this stage-than the one it has chosen in the
case OF the American airmen held captive in
Hungary. In exchange for their prompt release
the fines imposed upon them-totaling $780, 900
are to be paid. That is to say our powerful
Nation, in order to save four of its citizens from
suffering, has bowed to the ransom demand of
the puny rihrah that make up the puppet Com
muniSt tyranny in Budapest
1t Is only too easy to deplore this submission
and to hark back to the days of the Barbary
pirates who gave up the extortion business after
having been fed taste of our retaatory military
power. But these are different days and in this
particular instance, as a practical matter 1t is
dlft1cult to see much wisdom in the idea of
punitive expedition or ultimatum. Such action
is not to be rushed into in the kind of world we
have-not unless our whole Nation is prepared
to accept the risk of tull-scale war over issues
like the sentencing of four of our airmen to
three months in jail.
Nevertheless, from the standpoint OF princi-
pie, the fact remains that these flyers have been
criminally miStreated because of having unin-
tentlonally Strayed off course in an unarmed
cargo plane. Forced to land in Hungary bv
Soviet fighters, they have been used by the
Communists not only for ransom purposes but
also as instruments in the Kremlin's hate-incit-
Ing campaign of monStrous lies against the
United States. Clearly enough our Government
needs to do more than just pay $12O, 900 as the
price OF their freedom. It needs to set forth. in
the plaineSt possible language, an indictment of
the modern-day Barbary pirates-an Indictment
that could perhaps be submitted effectively for
action in the United Nations
Beyond that, with the four airmen free and
safe again, our Government should explore for
ways and means Of putting retaliatory heat on
hungary In economic and other fields and If
feasible ways and means can be found, the heat
should be put on. Above ALL serious thought
should be given to the idea of severing our dplo-
matte relations with Budapest, and they should
be severed II the severance can be carried out
without substantial disadvantage to our own
country. 1t has been argued in the past that
nothing Is to be gained from such course But
what is to be lost? If little or nothing is to be
lost, why should we recognize and deal with this
stooge regime as If it were respectable or decent
or civilized?
These and similar questions are applicable
In fact, to all the satellites behind the Iron
curtain. BY the same token, with particular
force, they are applicable to the Kremn the
master OF the puppets. 1t may be that COM
plete oreak between our country and the Soviet
empire would do more harm than good at this
time, but the American people-as indicated by
the Well-intentioned but misguided move to raise
the ransom for the flyers downed in Hungary
are about at the end of their patience with the
communists Sooner or later, the latter. If thew
continue with their gangsterism will have more
tnan lll-gotten dollars flung in their faces