Evening star., 1953-12-20
By Russell Brines
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associoted Press
Vice President Nixon came
back from Asia with a prize
elcction-year headache for Pres
ident Eisenhower.
Mr.. Nixon found. on his As
000-mile world tour, that the
United States may have to spend
The outhor Of this story, yeteron
OF u years of reporting in the Po-
citie and For Eost, wos one Of three
newsmen accompanying Vice Presi-
dent Nixon on his foct finding tour
OF Asio and the Middle Eost.
more money and take stronger
hand in Asian affairs to prevent
further Communist gains.
This is sad news for an ad-
ministration trying to pare ex-
penditures before next Novem-
ber's important congressional
elections.
Vital Decisions Indicated.
But Mr.. Nixon brought word,
for example, that a far-reaching
decision may have to be made
in order to save Indo-China,
gateway to rich Southeast Asia
the really important goal of
Communist military aggression
in Asia.
The choice, which may have
to be made before next No
vember, is this: Whether to go
all-out in backing the French,
with more arms and possibly
even military forces in order to
keep them in their bitter seven
years war, or whether to sup
port growing Paris demands for
a Korean-style negotiated truce.
This would risk losing the
peninsula politically to the Com
muniStS.
A second basic decision may
nave to be made next year. The
question is whether to add vital
Paklstan to the armed powers
linked to the United States,
through a new military-aid pro-
gram, or to bow to violent objec-
tions raised by Indias Prime
Minister JawahaWal Nehru.
Either choice means a change of
policy.
The administration probably
faces criticism, no matter what
it does on these problems, and
particularly if it does nothing.
Review of Policy Needed.
Mr. Nixon further saw the need
for complete review and
strengthening of American Ash
attic policy.
The truth is that after thou
sands of lives and billions of dol
lars, the allied powers have
erected, in many parts of Asia.
only house of cards that the
Communists can blow down
almost at will.
Politically, there is no overall
leadership. Free Asia is in danger
of splitting into quarreling frag-
ments, ripe for Communist
plucking. The United States has
convinced less than half of free
Asia's bewildered people of the
need to fight communism.
Patchwork planning has
brought temporary economic sta
bility that is dazzling in the boom
towns of Tokyo and Manila. But
it rests mainly on American dol
lar expenditures, and the boom
will collapse when they end.
No progress has been made
toward solving the great funda-
mental problems of Asia-Ja-
pans growing. crowded popula-
ton; South Korea's inability to
support itself; India's vast need
for mOderniZation.
And the biggest question of
all remains unanswered: Can
free Asia exist alongside a pow
erful, aggressive Red China?"
All indications are that the
Chinese Communists now are
profiting from the fighting lull
to tighten their internal control
and strengthen their armies for
the next step in timeless blue
print of conquest.
There is no indication that
they have learned any sort of
lesson" by their mauling in
Korea.
Only Two Alternatives.
Instead, time is narrowing the
choice between two politically
explosive alternatives:
!. To give up piecemeal pro-
lection of Asia and try saving it
by warning Peiping clearly that
its next attack will bring mill
tary reprisals against China.
2. To adopt the British-Indian
hope that recognizing the Red
regime will blunt its aggressive
intentions.
Free Asia has been drifting