Evening star., 1952-06-17
Alexander on Korea

Field Marshal Earl Alexander in his week.
end statement on Korea, has strongly Endorsed
what the United Nations command has been
doing both as regards the military situation over
there and the truce talks at Panmunjom. In
effect, he has thus reassured the British people
that the faultfnders and alarmists among them
have been giving voice to lot of ill-informed
and grossly unjustifed criticism.
The criticism-which has cast doubt on the
competence Of American generalship and Ameri-
can negotiation-has become rather widespread
in Britain in recent weeks. The substance of it
has been that the United States, as the leading
power of the allied U. N. forces, has not been
doing sound military job and has been less
than flexible or imaginative enough in striving
for an armistice agreement with the Communists.
However, although the Koje prisoner riots
have reflected certain American deficiencies, and
although other points can be cited to lend
measure of support to the faultfnderS, Earl
Alexander in his capacity as Britain's Defense
Minister, has made clear that the basic battle
front and political policies of the U. N. command
given the peculiarly difficult circumstances of
a strictly limited war-have been altogether
sound His judgment on that score is particularly
persuasive because he is himself distinguished
statesman. Moreover, it is a judgment
based on what he has learned at first hand
during the special on-the-scene inquiry which
he and his party of 16 British diplomats and
military men have been carrying out in Korea.
AS far as the truce talks are concerned, Earl
Alexander has been emphatic in declaring that
the U. N. negotiating team has taken an
absolutely right and correct line" Further he
has gone on to remind everybody that the
Americans comprising that team are in no way
to blame for the fact that progress has been
paralyzed by the Communists, who can have
an armistice whenever they decide to be reason
able and deal in good faith-a consideration
making him feel that move to have Briton
join in the negotiations might be misinterpreted
by them as sign of inter-Allied division that
would encourage them to be even more unreason-
able. AS for the military situation the field mar
shall has described the U. MS position as being
much stronger than he had supposed when he
was in London few weeks ago. A thorough tour
of the battlefront area has made him relatively
optimistic
In fact, although agreeing that an all-out
Red air attack would make matters much more
difficult" Earl Alexander has fatty predicted
that if the Communists launch another major
ground offensive, they will "be brought to a halt
in week with very heavy losses" After that,
in his opinion, they could be handed "diSas-
trous defeat" if only the U. N. had more reserves
than it has now for powerful counteroffensive.
Such views, coming from man of the field
marshal's stature, should do much to clear the
air of misconceptions not only in Britain but
here in America as well. Certainly they deserve
much greater attention than the loose talk of
unofficial critics who are thousands of miles
from Korea and hence in no position to pass
expert judgment on the situation obtaining
there.