Evening star., 1951-09-24
New Talks in Korea?

Although it seems probable at the moment
that the Korean truce talks will be resumed on
the basis of General Ridgways latest message,
the outlook for an early ceaSe-f1re agreement
will remain dim unless the Communists have
made up their minds to negotiate in good faith
and abandon the tactics they have been en-
ploying up to now.
Three months have passed since Jacob Malik,
speaking for the Soviet Union, first proposed that
the talks be held-a proposal that promptly per-
suaded the North Korean and Chinese Reds to
meet with representatives of the United Nations
command to work out an agenda for the discus
sion of terms There then followed at Kaesong
a protracted period of tedious Communist hag-
Cling after which-with the agenda agreed upon
at long last-both sides got down to the business
of dealing with the items listed for negotiation.
Item No. 1.-The fixing of a demilitarized
ceaSe-fire line-led to an immediate impasse.
The United Nations insisted that the line be
drawn to approximate the front held by our
American and allied forces, and the enemy coun-
tered with the demand that it be established
along the 38th Parallel-an impossible demand
calling, in effect for a long, nilitarily absurd
U. N retreat southwark from hard-won territory
to terrain more difficult to defend. Finally, a
month ago, still refusing to be reasonable on
this point the Communists suddenly suspended"
the Kaesong talks and began manufacturing
series of crude propaganda incidents designed
to make it seem that our side was deliberately
seeking to torpedo the armistice effort in order
to wage war on an ever expanding scale
This demonstration of bad faith has been
generally interpreted as evidence that the enemy
has been attempting merely to buy enough time
to build up strength for a massive new offensive
But the U. N. forces have been anything but idle
n
building up" too. More than that, they have
been engaged in attack operations sufficiently
effective-n terms of infiicting casualties on the
Chinese and North Korean aggressors- make
General Van Fleet, commander of the 9Th Army
feel that another big Red drive is hardly possible
in the period Immediately ahead That may be
the reason why the Communists appear to be
ready to resume the truce talks: They may have
learned that they are incapable of launching
powerful or decisive advance without all-out help
from the Kremlin, and the Kremlin may have
told them not to expect such help.
If this is so, then it is conceivable that re-
sumed negotiations will lead to an acceptable
agreement on ceaSe-fire and armistice. Never
theless, even II we thus assume the best, the
bleak record of deceit and time wasting argu-
ment already established by the Communists at
Kaesong is enough in itself to serve as a warning
signal against optimism. After all, none of the
items on the agenda has been cleared away, and
some of them-notably the one regarding ar
rangements for surveillance and inspection to
guard against truce violations-may set off greater
enemy haggling than the one bearing upon the
demilitarized line.
Accordingly, unless the enemy is sincerely
anxious for prompt settlement to put an end
to the fighting and dying, the reopening of truce
discussions is not likely to result in any speedy
and happy decisions. Under the best of circum-
stances, moreover even with an early armistice
the problem of working out decent and endur-
ing peace for the whole of Korea will still remain
1t is problem whose solution in the last analysis
will depend primarily on whether or not the
Kremlin decides to cooperate in easing inter-
national tensions and stopping the present grim
drift toward global war.