Evening star., 1951-08-21
The Political Mill
Macarthur Case Issue
To Be Put Before Voters
6. o. P. Senators Have Written
Indictment Of Administration
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

Eight Republican Senators, members
OF the Foreign Relations and Armed
Services Committees which conducted a
searching inquiry into the administra-
tion's foreign policy in the Far East and
the removal Of Gen. Douglas Macarthur
from high command, have written an
indictment of the administration which
inevitably will be carried into the ma
tional political campaign next year.
It is argued in some quarters that
what Is needed now is to pursue firmly
q strong course in the future and to
avoid recriminations over past errors.
An administration, however, must be
judged on its record. Since the present
administration will ask the voters next
should not complain II the opposition
seeks to lay before the public its mis-
takes In the past. Nor will cry that
this is politics" serve as an answer to
the charges brought against it.
Record Il Clarified.
The unwillingness OF the administra-
ton to admit it ever made q mistake in
its policy either in regard to Soviet
Russia or China and the whole Far
Eastern situation is understandable but
not convincing. It's record has been
greatly clarif1ed-but not entirely by
the inquiry made by the Senate COM
mittees. Since the American people are
called on to determine whether it
wishes to continue the administration,
the summarizing Of the testimony and
the facts developed now presented Is q
valuable contribution.
The burden Of the statement made
by the eight Republican Senators is that
the administration failed to understand
the motives of the Soviet Union and
its purpose Of world Communist domi-
nation; that this failure has led first
to the fall Of China into Communist
hands, and second to the Korean war.
1t has produced a devastating chain.
from Yalta to Korea, to prove this. If
the American voters wish to overlook
and forgive these hlunders, it's their
privilege. 1t Is right, however, they
should have their eyes wide open when
they do.
It is evident from the testimony be-
fore the Senate committees that the adj
miniStration insisted on trying to make
the Chinese Nationalist government lie
down with the Chinese Communists at
a time when, If sufficient aid had been
given the NationalistS instead of en-
couragement to the Communists, China
might still be free of Communist domi-
nation. How long would the American
Government-the republican form of
government established by the Consti-
tution-laSt if we undertook to have
American Communists participate in it2
Certainly the present administration is
giving a picture Of trying to eradicate
Communists from public Office in this
country wherever they are found. What
the administration undertook in China
is no more intelligent than would have
been an effort to make the South Ko-
rean republic take the North Korean
Communists into bed with them.
Must Meet Charge.
The charge has been made that ON
cialS OF. the American Governments too
friendly to the Communist idea as well
as to Communist Russia, connived to
bring about this kind of policy by the
State Department. These charges, too.
the administration will have to meet in
the coming campaign.
On the subject of the removal from
command Of Gen. Macarthur, the Re-
publican Senators in their statement at
tack both the manner in which Presi-
dent Truman removed the general and
the reasons given. They point to the
fact that the administration has been
forced finally to move strongly in the
direction Of MacArthur's proposed pro-
gram, including the denial Of Formosa
to Communist hands.
This issue Of MacArthur's removal is
going to bob up again and again to
plague the administration-andp particu-
larly will this be true if the war in the
Far East continues.