Evening star., 1952-12-12
By the Assoeiated Press

President Truman'S state
ment that he can't see any good
purpose in calling President
elect Eisenhower and Gen.
Macarthur to a White House
parley on Korea came in the
opening round Of yesterdays
news conference.
The reporters got down to
the questioning after brief,
and fairly rare, session of pho
Biography in the conference
room.
White House rules forbid di-
rect quotation of the President
in news conference but follow
ing is an unofficial transcript
of what went on:
Ernest B. CTony) Vaccaro of
the Associated Press told the
President: Senator Watkins has
suggested that you invite both
Gen. Eisenhower and Gen. Mac
Arthur to the White House for
a Korean strategy conference.
Some of the other reporters
couldn't hear well and the
President repeated the state
ment, adding that he couldn't
see there was any good purpose
being served by that. He added
that they (Gens. Eisenhower
and MacArthur) are welcome to
talk to him any time they want.
@. Do you intend to invite
Gen. Macarthur to come to
Washington?
The President said he did not
He added that Gen. Macarthur
is in the Army on active duty
and said that if he has any,
thing of use to the Defense
Department he ought to tell
them so that they could make
use Of it.
@. Mr.. President, what do you
think of Gen. EiSenhower's
statement that he has no trick
solution to the war in Korea?
Well. Mr.. Truman replied. he
was quoting the President. Mr..
Truman recalled he had made
the same statement quite some
time ago in the campaign. He
just quoted the President-nct
Intentionally, however, Mr.. Tru-
man added.
@. Do you feel that it is his
(Gen. MacArthur's) duty to
come forth with it if he has
any plan?
Mr.. Truman replied that GER
tainly it is, certainly it is. Gen.
Macarthur is on active duty
and will be the rest of his life
the law provides for that, he
said.
Read All of Testimony.
Q Mr.. President, Gen. Mac
Arthur said that nobody has
listened to his counsel since he
got back. 1t seems tu me the
Macarthur investigating COM
mittee heard all he had to say.
Mr.. Truman said the COM
mittee went over it completely
and thoroughly and said he had
read every word of the testi-
mony. The committee didn't
come up with any suggestions or
view to him or the Defense
Department, he said.
@. Have you talked with Gen.
Macarthur since you saw him
on Wake Island?
Mr.. Truman said he had not.
He continued that he took a
14,400-mile trip to get lot of
misinformation and Gen. Mac
Arthur didn't even have the
courtesy of reporting to the
White House. He added that he
had never seen Gen. Macarthur
and he didn't want to see him.
@. You mean he should have
come tc see you?
Mr.. Truman said he should
have. and should have reported
the moment he got here. Any
decent man would have done
it. he added.
Q. Mr.. President. if Gen.
Macarthur does not respond to
the invitation in the press,
would it seem logical that the
Joint Chiefs should request him
to come to Washington to lay
Breaking in, Mr.. Truman said
he thought the Joint Chiefs
know all about what is in Gen.
MacArthur's mind. If they want
to hear it again. he said, that's
all right with him.
@. Mr.. President. what mis-
information did the general
give you?
Mr.. Truman replied that Gen.
Macarthur said the Chinese
would not come into Korea. that
it would be possible to send a
division of the regular Army to
Germany for occupation pur-
poses to relieve another division
over there by the first of jan
uary and that he also said that
the war was over, he was sure.
Clarifies Point on Division.
Some of the reporters had
trouble keeping up and the
President had Jack Romagna.
the White House stenographer,
read the reply. He broke into
the reading to specify that the
Army division was to come
from Korea.
Q. Could we quote that, Mr..
President? asked one reporter,
referring to the reply about
miSinformation.