The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-07-30
CEN. VAN FLEET

CEN. VAN FLEET
Continued From Page One)
an armistice or not is anybody
guess" he said.
One minor action was reported
| today as rain drenched the battle
front for the sixth straight day.
Mainly ground contact was limited
| to brief exchanges between pa
trolls.
But on the western front, near
the shell-ripped hill Old Badly,
I U. N. troops counter-attacked
second time against an advance
position seized by 200 Reds early
Tuesday. A thunderous artillery
tarrage and Allied infantry charge
early this morning failed to dis.
lodge the Reds.
Except for night BIS and BIS
bomb runs on front-line targets,
u. N. warplanes were mostly
grounded.
Van Fleet said although the Reds
had ''thinned cut their front
lines, they still had almost a mil
lion men in North Korea. He con-
tinued:
The Reds needed and wanted
an armistice in June and again in
November of last year when they
were ''in bad shape" but after they
got through the winter. they be-
came bold" and tough trad
err" at the armistice conference
table.
Recent trends indicate less Of
a chance for an armistice than
ever BEFORE" Van Fleet asserted.
He reported the Reds have built
up their defenses on both coasts
in far Of an Allied amphibious
attack ''of which they always have
been frightened"
Van Fleet said he believed the
main reason the Reds thinned
their front-line forces was the
Eighth Army's heavy pressure
by artillery fire.
AT long last. il has become ap-
parent to the enemy that he has
feen a damn fool to stay in the
front lines for us to shoot at.
Eighth Army military pressure
causes more casualties and dam
age than the enemy is capable of
maintaining.
The best way TO win is by pres.
sure.
I'VE are strong anywhere, but
we like to have him i'm strength
as far forward as possible. The
farther forward he is. the easier
we can knock him out. We con.
WINGED him Of that and he finally
has come to his senses.
Commenting on the bitter fight.
ing for Old Badly hill. Van Fleet
said there had been no concerted
effort by the Allies TO resake the
advance positions held since July
q by the Chinese troops. The hill.
prior to that, had changed hands
several times In fighting that be-
gan July II.
Van Flee, said that when the
U. N. wants 10 retake Old Baldy
1T win be retaken. "
Van Fleet said Old Baltgy--as
terrain--''is unimportant bur az
place 10 Kill Chinese. maintain cur
position and prove TO The enemp
that be can't capture the hill. we
still give II some attention -
Az Munssn today. the Conmu-
nists suggested possibly xignd.
icsnt change in the wording a
the proposed arnissiee document
now under study by staff officers
of both sides. II des. with a bar
asraph relating 10 war prisoners
The issue Of prisoner exchange
has blocked a truce for snonths
The Reds proposed changing ire
term captured personnel In
''pvascners Of var" In Parsgrapn
So. which wuald then read
Each side agrees 10 insurs ,sas
II shall nOs employ In acts Ct var
u The K0rean en1nses any pwis.
ooers N mar released from rssx.
iDcy lzseAdrns 10 ssse arrnAstsce
Co. Duneaa s. servA n Y
cssa snand stsH osasev. xsta ae
bad saksd TIE Reds far rIarsaea.
aa0n-
uassaE Feewfsf sexres truce saaxx
MAJ Ges Nsasn v. HarY1sen
s~rssss Z y aTnastses sesexaem
Esde tic ks1a IN Term saesgrvr