Evening star., 1953-12-24
u Who Embraced Communism

Why all the hubbub and anxiety
about repatriating our % soldiers who
have chosen to remain with the Com
munists? With a population of at least
100 million, we should not worry about
% more or less. Also a fundamental
tenet of our free Nation Is freedom of
belief, political as well as religious, for
each individual. We are not required
to accept authoritarian views or to
jump through the iron hoop Of con-
servatiSm or liberalism every time some
high official or domineering demagogue
cracks whip.
With the freedom of choice that we
have, it is not surprising that % out
Of many millions should prefer Com
munism. Would we not have made
better impression on other nations If
we had said at the beginning that we
would make no attempt at persuading
the % to change their minds? Now our
failure in our attempt is about to be
exposed before the world.
Relatives, personal friends, or other
individuals are fully justified in at
tempting to prevent what they consider
a serious. or perhaps fatal, mistake on
the part of the % men. But parental
guidance and persuasion of citizens by
the Government to or from ideas, be-
liefs. and af1liations. although expected
of Russia, cannot with dignity or con-
Sistency be undertaken by free nation.
George Frederick Miller.
+
issue of December II, discusses the
presumption that some of our service
men remain in the hands of the Red
Chinese, and he quotes a Pentagon Of
ficial as follows: "The only way to get
every one back is at the point Of gun
(and) the American people wouldn't
support resumption of all-out war;"
This sentiment recalls the picture of
the Sleighing party pursued by wolves
and holding off the final attack by
throwing out one of their number from
time to time to be devoured Change
the sleighing party picture to show the
majority of the crowd snug and cozy
under electrically heated blankets, max
ing merry at canasta while bar-maid
serves eggnog, and the revision will re-
present the United States avoiding a
resumption of the war by appeasing
CA1C cI1CLIy Will uldCIlOL IC1dIlfc W OuI
nationals.
The Pentagon view quoted also re-
minds us of the kid-glove policy towards
our British ally demanded by Secretary
Dulles recently and by Star editorial
December 13. We who maintain, like
Mccarthy, that the British are un-
faithful to the alliance when they trade
ever so little with our enemies, are
warned that we must not offend the
British because. we are told, we depend
on their help. What an inverted view
that is!
George Bancroft, the historian, de-
livering the memorial address on Lin
coin before Congress in 1866, described
an international alignment the exact
opposite of todays British ships,
manned by British sailors, armed with
British guns" had preyed on our COM
merce-even on our ships that had
carried gifts of grain to the English
poor.
1t seems that among the 1900 ships
half of them British. reported now to
be trading with Red China. one ship
loaded with non-strategic fertilizer,
blew up. Interesting fertilizer. what?
The British government has been a
headache to us from the days of the
earliest settlers right down to the
present. Commentator John T. Flynn
has said that Secretary Acheson always