Evening star., 1953-04-26
Armistice

across the Korean peninsula. In
his policy speech before the editors
10 days ago, President Eisenhower
said:
"Any armistice in Korea that
merely released aggressive armies
to attack elsewhere would be a
fraud"
So the fighting elsewhere in
Asia was, this week end, a con-
sideration for the negotiators at
Panmunjom to ponder in arrang-
ing a cease fire in the worlds No. /
trouble spot.
Another major consideration is
the attitude of the Chinese Com
munists on repatriation of approx
mately 10000 healthy prisoners
held by the United Nation forces.
Foreign Minister Chou En-lai and
other Red-bloc leaders have blown
hot and cold on the subject Of
forcible repatriation. 1t remains
to be seen what will be agreed to
as the armistice talks progress.
With or Without Strings?
If the Chinese Reds accept the
Western position that no man shall
be sent home against his will, there
Is scant reason why a cease-fire
cannot be arranged. But If the
Chinese attach strings to the
agreements they have given
indications of wanting to do-the
peace talks can easily. stalemate
or collapse.
Right now the best Information
on the Communist point Of view
seems to be that the Reds will
agree to neutral supervision Of un-
willing prisoners, but will insist
on their eventual repatriation.
The U. N. also is willing to turn
over reluctant POWs to neutrals,
but opposes mere postponement Of
the day the prisoners must be re-
turned.
Last week, in Seoul, a third
party-So to speak-got into the
act. The South Korean govern
-ment regards all Koreans, northern
as well as southern, as citizens of
Syngman Rhee's Korea. A Seoul
spokesman said South Korea
1 would not allow any Korean to
be turned over to neutral nation.
Exactly what the South Koreans
could do about it If the U.N. COM
mand decided otherwise Is not
clear. But the attitude Of the
nation with the most basic interest
in the controversy could conceiv-
ably become a stumbling block at
Panmunjom.
Tofts Demond
South Korea's stand is not the
only possible trouble area. Sena-
tor Taft, Republican majority
leader, suggested last week that
the Korean truce agreement should
be a sort of package deal-that
efforts to stop fighting in Indo-
China and Malaga should be
wrapped up with the Korean
truce. The difficulty that would
be encountered in trying to put
through the Taft proposal is that
Indo China and Malaga are not on
the five-point agenda which the
Panmunjom negotiators are dis
cussing. AS a matter of fact, all
such political discussions are, by
terms Of the armistice agenda ap-
proved July 26, 1851, to be tossed
into the laps Of politicians after
the shooting stops.
Another clod was tossed at the
side Of the peace shack last week
by the America-baiting head of
the British Labor Party, Aneurin
Bevan. "Nye" charged that Presi-
dent Eisenhower's peace formula
was too stiff-as he put 1t, "You
are not going to get peace in the
world If you insist on the Soviet
Union accepting a whole range of
humiliating conditions and giving
nothing at ALL"
Revon's Formula
Like Senator Taft, Nye Bevan
suggested something that is not
on the armiStice agenda. "A seat
for China in the United Nations"
he asserted, "is a part of the bar
gain you must make for peace in
Korea" The announced attitude
of the United States is such that
If the Chinese Reds proposed this
tit-for-tat, the peace talks almost
certainly would be broken on
inStanter.
MaeArthuFs Plan
Gen. Douglas Macarthur, Of
whom not much has been heard
in recent months, returned briefly
to the spotlight to offer a formula
for peace. It was not greatly
different in its essential feature
from the idea that cost him his
job as Far Eastern commander
two years ago.
In q letter to Senator Byrd,
Democrat, OF Virginia, answering
q query from the Senator, Gen.
Macarthur suggested that . sharp