Evening star., 1953-09-16
Time of Big Decisions
In Asia Approaching

We are on the eve of great
decisions in Asia. Korea is
the first step. Will Red China
yield at the conference table
what it fought to prevent on
the battlefield? It would
seem to me unlikely if we
adopt arbitrary positions in
advance and our room for
maneuver and negotiation is
limited. I hope our leaders
will not be prisoners of do
mestic political propaganda
or hobbled by inflexibility.
Personally I am skeptical of
Red China'S intentions, but
when we search for settlement
we have to search, and when
we negotiate we have to have
something to negotiate with as
well as for. Many of our
friends think China wants
peace and trade above all, as
they themselves do. With so
much at stake In Asia--the
uniflcation OF Korea, Formosa,
peace and security in Indo-
China-it would seem to me
that we owe it to ourselves as
well as to our friends at least
to find out, if we can, what
Communist China'S ultimate
intentions are.
Let me add here that I en-
phatically approve what our
Government is doing to leave
no doubt about our concern
for the security and independ-
ence Of Indo-China, which is
the gate to all Southeast Asia.
I wish I had an hour for
Asia, for, if I may risk a
prophecy, the hostile world is
going to pay more and more
attention to Asia, especially
huge, uncommitted India. And
I suspect that as Europe's
Eastern empires shrink, there
will be left to us more of the
burden of defense and of help
ing to guide the great forces
which great changes have un-
leashed in Asia.
The Middle East is largely
a power and defense vacuum,
except for doughty little Israel
and tough strong Turkey. In
Turkey the ancient enmity
of Muscovy would make
the Turk suspect and alb
hor communism just be-
cause it came from Rus
sia if for no other reason.
Peace is imperative in the
Middle East-peace between
Egypt and Britain and the
Arab States and Israel, which
is engaged in an historic ef-
fort to provide refuge and new
hope to oppressed people.
In Europe, the recovery since
the war is spectacular. In West
ern Germany. which doesn't
have to support an army, navy
and air force, it looks ironically
as though the vanquished were
better off than the victors, In
France the progress has not
kept pace; there is grave social
unrest and political Illustration
which can be remedied and will
be, pray Heaven, by heroic
measures.
Among Frenchmen the con-
victiop is growing that France
can no longer maintain the
defense effort in Europe, fight
communism in Indo China
with weapons and at home
with larger social and eco
nomical expenditures, all at
the same time. We should
bear in mind that many
Frenchmen vote Communist,
not from conviction, but in
protest. Hence, the increasing
clamor to get out of Indo-
China altogether and spend
more on housing, industrial
development and social bet
terment at home.
Germony>Most Urgent
Problem in Europe
The most urgent problem in
Europe today is, Of course,
Germany: How to channel its
developing strength and re-
sources into paths that will
benefit both Europe and the
world, how to resolve the age
old rivalries of France and
Germany, and how to satisfy
the intense German desire for
reuniflcation, whetted by the
gallant workers revolt in the
Soviet zone which exhilarated
the whole free world.
Y~ sAa~A kLa S;0a,,1SsA. 49,