Evening star., 1952-08-16
Edging Toward a Truce?


Chief Of the puppet Communist regime of North
Korea, has begun to talk less immoderately than
usual. 1t has been his custom in the past to
breathe fire and speak of crushing" our Ameri-
can and allied United Nations forces and driving
them into the sea- But now his tune has changed
to one suggesting that he may be willing and
anxious to sign an armistce If only the armistice
contains adequate face-saving terms
Thus in observance of the holiday marking
Korea's liberation from the Japanese, Premier
Kim has delivered a parliamentary speech
declaring his readiness to accept truce that
would end the war in draw, with neither
victor nor vanquished." In the same speech, he
has mouthed the usual anti-American propa-
ganda, but still he has left the impression that
he would like to see an agreement quickly
reached at Panmunjom-a rather strong impress
sion, even though he has insisted once again
that there must be compulsory repatriation
OF prisoners
According to the Communists themselves, the
repatriation issue is the only obstacle to agree
ment on truce The enemy demands that the
United Nations return all Chinese and North
Korean military captives-by force If necessary.
The U. NJ, as matter of common decency and
humanitarianism has refused this on the ground
that tens of thousands of these men are bitterly
opposed to being sent back to Red control and
that to drive them back would be equivalent to
condemning them to savage reprisals from their
masters in Peiping and Pyongyang. The dead
lock on this point appears to be unbreakable,
but possibly Premier Kims latest remarks mean
that his regime is prepared to modify its past
position if the Panmunjom negotiators work out
a prisoner exchange formula that will avert loss
OF face.
The Kim speech, in any event, has struck
than other
enemy statements for many week past. Pre-
sumably the speech has been delivered with the
approval of Red China and the Kremlin, and it
may therefore be an indication that the Com
munists have grown increasingly weary of a war
whose prolongation apparently can gain them
nothing but further destruction If that Is how
they feel if they cannot launch successful
offensive and If their rather formidable force
of Soviet-made jets cannot stop our air opera
tions, then they conceivably may be in mood
for compromise If so, they have ample oppor-
tunity to get speciic-as the State Department
has just said-about proposals to end the
Panmunjom deadlock. @
It is interesting, If not significant, that
Generalissimo Stain has sent Premier Kim
message offering hearty congratulations" on
Korea's liberation from Japan and wishing
success to the "heroic Korean people in its
struggle for its homeland" This has been
accompanied by Pravda editorial calling for
peaceful settlement of the war, but adding that
the Koreans are "unwavering in unanimously
striving to defend the freedom and independence"
of their country. These words have a double talk
ring to them, but whatever they may mean, they
certainly seem less than happy or confident.
Actually, although the State Department has
cautioned against attaching unusual significance
to the Kim speech there seems to be possibility
that some progress toward an agreement may be
made when the recessed Panmunjom talks
resume next Tuesday. Moreover, Jacob Malik
chief Soviet delegate to the U. N has been quoted
as believing that an armistice will be reached
soon. He has said this in one of his rare and
not very reliable moments Of joviality-but
perhaps events will bear him out In any case,
it is hard to see how the Communists can profit
much from a continuing deadlock.