Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-08
General Clark and His WARNING

When his application for retirement be-
comes effective on october 81, General Mark
Wayne Clark, chief of our American and United
Nations Far East Command, will bring to a
close more than 40 years of active service in the
Army. Beginning with his participation in the
First World War; his record is that of military
man of distinction, rich in the experience not
only OF deadly combat but also of the venture
some and delicate kind of international nego-
tlation that outstanding soldiers are sometimes
called upon to conduct with friend and foe
alike.
1t was a military diplomatic mission of an
extraordinary sort that first made General
Clark'S name famous one at home and abroad
This was his daring 1912 Mediterranean exploit
in which-with the help of the British-he used
submarine and little rubber boat to get into
Nazi-held North Africa to negotiate there with
the French to win their support prior to the
Allied invasion. After that, he became General
ElSenhower's deputy in that theater. Later, in
1943, as commander of the 5th Army in Italy,
he directed the bloody assault across the Rapido
River-an operation still criticized in some
quarters despite the fact that his decisions in
it have been firmly backed by the Pentagon
as having been both necessary and successful
At the close of the Second World War, with
the shooting over General Clark started to play
another military diplomatic role, serving as
chief of our occupation forces and as American
High Commissioner in Austria until 1947 There
after he held various commands here in the
United States until taking over the all-impor-
tant Tokyo-Korea assignment Is months ago.
In that position, he has acquired an intimate
knowledge of the Communists, and although
his signature is on the Panmunjom truce he
has repeatedly emphasized that that agreement
falls far short of guaranteeing a good peace
and that the United States and the rest of the
free world must remain strong and stand con-
stantly on guard against enemy treachery.
Further, having in mind that such treach-
cry is very real possibility, General Clark has
been at pains to make the following statement:
IF the truce is broken would favor using any
and every weapon at the disposal Of our coun-
try if we had to start the hostilities again."
That means he would favor the use of nuclear
ornaments In addition, along with the sixteen
nations allied under the U. N command he
has intimated that in such circumstances he
would be most strongly inclined to adopt some
thing like the program once urged by General
MacArthur-namely, the application of maxi
mum force against the enemy not merely in
Korea but also in the privileged sanctuary"
of Manchuria and Red China proper
In saying all this at the press conference
announcing his retirement plans, General Clark
has in effect given voice to double warming
warning to the free nations not to let down
their guard and warning to the Communists
to abide by the armistice or reckon with the
TACT that the United States may we'll resort to
the kind OF retaliation he has advocated in case
OF treachery. Coming from so experienced
source this is counsel that should be taken
very much to heart by both sides-our own and
the enemy's.