Evening star., 1953-03-13
Shooting to Kill

Although two Allied planes now have been
shot down within So hours by Communist
fighters along the German East-West border
there may still be room for doubt as to the
real significance of these outrageS. In any
event, some Western Spokesmen prefer to think
of them as isolated incidents" rather than as
evidence of new and more aggressive Soviet
policy.
There are some things, however, which
cannot be doubted. One is that the Commu-
mist pilots are shooting to kill. The American
pilot whose plane was shot down Tuesday,
parachuted to safety. But six British airmen
were killed when numbering old Lincoln
(British) bomber crashed in flames along the
Elbe yesterday under the guns of two Soviet
fighters. EyewitneSses in West Germany saw
the bomber being chased from the direction of
the Soviet zone. It was in flames, but the
Russian pilots followed it down, still firing
their 37millimeter cannon. At least two men,
bers of the bomber crew jumped in parachutes.
One chute. when recovered, had a shell hole
in it, indicating that the Russians tried to kill
the crew members after they jumped.
The American pilots insist they never
crossed the border and that they were attacked
over the American zone. There is some reason
to believe that the British plane may have
inadvertently strayed out of the narrow air
corridor and found itself briefly over the Soviet
zone. Even so, however, only grim inferences
can be drawn from the murderous attack
upon it.
One is that after ALL we may not be
granted the time we thought we would have to
get ready for World War III. The shooting
down of these two planes, If not deliberate
provocation at least suggests willingness on
the part of the Communists to accept the risk
of war now. And we are far from ready.
Even after the Chinese Communists crossed
the Yalu with Russian support in late 1850,
the decision here was against total rearma-
nent effort. Senator Stuart Symington, former
head Of the Air Force and one of the few at
the policy-making level who dissented at that
time, told Philadelphia audience Wednesday
night '"The American people were still assured
they could take it easy. We were told that we
could handle this new Soviet aggression with
one hand, while we piled the other hand high
with butter and automobiles and television
SETS"
More than two years have gone by. We
have butter in embarrassing abundance. The
market place is flooded with automobiles and
television sets. But we are still desperately
short on arms.
Whoever may be right in the Korean
ammunition debate, we certainly lack the mod
ern weapons we ought to have in that theater
OF war. In western Europe we are even weaker.
Most Of our fighter planes there are F-84s-the
type attacked Tuesday. And they are no
match for the Russian MG-15s.
When will we be ready? M-day, the day
of readiness, has been pushed back and back.
Now, presumably, 1t will be reached some time
in 1854. Do these border incidents" in Ger
many indicate that the Russians will not wait
that long?
Senator Symington posed a question for
his Philadelphia audience Will we be ready,
he asked, on that critical day when the Rus
slams may have what they might consider
enough atomic weapons to launch a successful
attack against the United States? Answering
his own question, he said: "The answer in my
opinion is 'no'-and believe the facts prove it,"
Perhaps he is mistaken. But this shoot
to-kill attitude along the Iron Curtain ought
to come as jarring shock to the guns-and-
butter-too advocates. For it could mean that
the Russians are not going to let us enjoy our
luxuries much longer.
On 'Coexistence' =.