Evening star., 1952-12-07

COMETHING Of a record for
- delivering on campaign prom
Use was established at 7:57 pm. last
Tuesday.
At that moment, a four engine
military transport plane touched
down at an airport outside Seoul,
Korea. The principal passenger
was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Only AZ days earlier, at Detroit,
Ike had promised the American
people that he would 60 to Korea
If elected-not necessarily to find
a snappy way to end the war, but
to learn how best to serve the Ma
ton in the prevailing situation.
Last Friday evening, after three
days in the war arena, the Presi-
dent-elect left Korea, transferring
at Guam to the U. s. s. Helena for
a sea voyage to Hawaii. An hour
after his departure, the wraps were
taken of one Of the most closely
guarded secrets Of recent years.
For nearly a week, Ike, the military
and the Secret Service had been
playing regular E. Phillips Open
helm game.
Out Before Down
It started before dawn eight
days ago. The President-elect was
spirited away from his New York
home, reportedly while Secret
Service man diverted the attention
of a police guard. Snug aboard his
Constellation airplane, he remained
out Of sight through refueling stops
at Travis Air Force Base, Calf;
Hickam Field, Hawaii, and Midway
Island. BY the time he got to re-
mote Two Jima, Gen. Eisenhower
was well rested for the grind to
come.
It was indeed q grind. Confer
ences with high brass and low;
meetings with President Syngman
Rhee and other South Korean
off1cials; plane and jeep trips to
units near the front, even q hospi-
tai visit jammed his schedule.
What was likely to come Of 1t?
After three days on the battlefield,
Gen. Eisenhower appeared to have
no ready answer. It had been
simple enough matter during the
campaign to criticize, at least by
implication, the fact that the Tru-
man administration had not been
able to stop the war.
lke's Bottled, Too
Now, with the election won and
the responsibility for conduct of
the war about to deYolve upon him,
Gen. Eisenhower seemed as baffled
as other American statesmen had
been. His feeling seemed to be
summed up in these IS words,
uttered at the end of his tour:
"How difficult it seems to be in
q war of this kind to work out a
plan that would bring a positive
and definite victory without posi-
bly, running grave risk Of enlarg-
ing the war"
This was taken to mean what
most observers expected-that the
President-elect would oppose turn
ing Korea into an all-out war
against the Chinese mainland.
His statement, however, was not
entirely one Of pessimism. There
are many limitations in war of
this kind" he added, ''but this much
is certain: Much can be done, in
my opinion, to improve our posi-
ton. Much will be DONE"
With Gen. Eisenhower on his in
spection tour went his newly-named
Secretary of Defense, Charles E.
Wilson Of General Motors; the in
coming Attorney General, Herbert
Brownell, jr.; Special Assistant
Legislative expert) Wilton B. Per-
sons; Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair
man Omar Bradley and number
of lesser lights.
Wide Reaction
Once the wraps were of the story
on Friday morning-reaction be-
gan to be heard. An Associated Press
report from the front said morale
was perked up by the President
elects visit. Behind the lines, where
q press conference was held, some
reporters expressed dissatisfaction
at being required to listen to the
general without asking questions.
An 9th Army spokesman hailed the
generals decision not to be queS-
toned as showing that he was not
going to make snap decisions, as
he might have to do If he were
going to answer questions off,
handedly. Senators Dworshak and
Welker, Idaho Republicans, said
they were looking forward to some
recommendation from the Presi-
dent-elect about ending the war.
If there was a single universal
reaction in the United States to the
story of Gen. Eisenhower's trip, 1t
was one of relief that he had made
the journey safely. All the elaborate
cloak and dagger business sur
rounding the tour had paid off.
The incoming President, now
safely away from Korea, would have
been tremendous prize for an alert
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