Evening star., 1953-06-25
Korea Three Years Later


fourth year, with President Rhee's recalcitrance
gravely darkening the outlook for an armistice,
there are two things that seem especially
worthy Of emphasis. The first is that the
Kremlin stands condemned before history as
the inStigator and constant supporter Of the
Communist aggression launched southwark
across the 38th Parallel on June Is, 1850. And
the second is that the United States, despite
all the blunders and questionable decisions that
have been made, can be eternally proud of the
role it has played in leading the free world to
uphold the rule OF law against the perpetrators
Of that monstrous crime.
OF course, with the benefit of hindsight-
which unfortunately is possessed by no man
anywhere when foresight is needed-it is only
too easy to list the blunders and the questionable
decisions. For example, looking back now, how
unwise it seems that our Government, following
the Kremlin'S lead in North Korea, withdrew
American troops from South Korea in 1949.
Further, how deplorably deficient we were in
preparing for the massive Intervention of the
Chinese Communists in october of 1850. And
how debatable, how very debatable, has been
the policy that we and our United Nations
allies have followed in seeking to prevent
general Asiatic or global war by strictly limiting
the theater of battle and accepting the Soviet
proposal of June, 1884, for armistice talks.
Certainly, again with the benefit of hind
sight, there is reason to feel-although nobody
can be the least bit sure of it-that the Com
munists would have long since been decisively
defeated If General Macarthur had been al
lowed to bomb the privileged sanctuary" of
Manchuria and bring military force against
other areas of China proper. Similarly, it can
be argued, but also without sureness that the
Soviet truce proposal was made solely because
of the terrible mauling our forces had inflicted
on the enemy in April and May of 1951-a
mauling that might have led to an early end to
the war, with an overwhelming victory for our
side, had General Van Fleet been free to follow
through with an all-out drive to destroy the
shattered Red armies.
However, regardless of these and similar
"might-have- -beens," regardless of how hind
sight tempts one to censure the irrevocable
judgments of the past, the fact remains that
the American directed United Nations Com
mand has earned place of high and i'm
perishable honor in history. For who can
belittle what it has achieved since that day
when President Truman, with the virtually
unanimous support of the country, thrilled and
inspired the entire free world with his orders
directing our armed forces to help the South
Koreans and give battle to the Communist
aggreSSor? Who can ever forget the first
desperate phases Of that battle, and then the
build-up that led to the Inchon landings and
all the great events-good and bad-that
followed?
It is surely fitting and proper today to
remember that the Kremlin's original puppet
armies in Korea were practically wiped out, as
result Of Inchon, within period of about
three months after the criminal Communist
attack of June Is, 1850 Indeed, immense mill
tary skill and boundless heroism made this
nfA %l,o%
marched all the way to the Yalu soon there
after. But then, with the Stain dictatorship
giving the go-ahead signal Red China inter-
vened, vowing to drive us and our allies into the
sea, and the VOW for time seemed near
fulf1llment Once more, however, immense
military skill and boundless heroism turned the
tide until the enemy-after suffering his awful
losses in April and May of 1951-bid for
truce.
Perhaps that bid should have been spurned
Perhaps history will vindicate DR.. Rhee's
jeremiads and his threat to "go it alone" But
the United Nations Command-und which his
ROK troops hold go per cent of the front line
as against Is per cent held by our American
forces and is per cent by the British, Greeks,
Turks and other U. N. allies-has nonetheless
accomplished its original mission, which was to
repel aggression back beyond the 38th Parallel
In doing that, the brave armies involved have
won real victory rejecting glory on themselves
and the countries they represent not least of all
America. Given such victory, which un-
queStionably has had great sobering effect
on the Communist world, it is sheer defeatism
to say that an honorable armistice is impossible
or that Koreas ultimate uniication as free
land, through peaceful political settlement. is
wholly inconceivable.
PROTECTING Mountain Climbers