Evening star., 1953-07-30
Mr.. Dulles, the Senators and Korea

AS Secretary of State Dulles has explained,
his impending meeting with President Syngman
Rhee of the Republic of Korea will have three
broad detectives: Cd To outline plans for the
rehabilitation of the war-ravaged country; t2)
to coordinate American and ROK views and
policies in advance of the post-truce political
conference; and 90 to work out a mutual
security pact.
All these matters are highly important
and it is primarily because one of them-the
pact-will require formal Senate ratification
that President Eisenhower and Mr.. Dulles have
persuaded two Republican Senators and two
Democratic Senators to take the long trip to
Korea and join directly with the Secretary in
his talks with Dr. Rhee. The Senators-Know-
land of California, Smith of New Jersey john
son of Texas and Russell of Georgia-are able
and influential men, and their participation in
this unusual get-together can hardly fail to be
helpful not only to the administration but to
the Nation at large.
Certainly, in addition to what they can
contribute to the task of drafting mutual
security treaty, these Senators can play val
liable advisory role when Mr.. Dulles and DR..
Rhee sit down together in an effort to define
a common approach to the post-truce confer
ence One thing that the ROK leader probably
will seek is clearer understanding of what our
Government will be ready to accept, reject or
concede at that conference. Moreover. since
we have agreed with him to walk out 80 days
after the conferences start if we are convinced
by that time of Communist bad faith and of
the futiity of further discussion, he is likely
to ask for some specific forecast of the action
the United States might then take-after the
walkout.
In the light of his press conference the
other day, it seems clear that Mr.. Dulles is not
prepared at this time to give unqualified or
unambiguous public answers to such questions.
Considering the delicate nature OF the situa-
ton, his present evasiveness probably is nee
essary. But the day is coming when he will
have to speak out plainly and preciSely-to DR..
Rhee, to the Communists, to the American
people and to the world as understanding
the position of the United States on the follow
ing issues, among others: O) The future status
of Formosa and the Chinese Nationalists, (2)
proposals to end the embargo against Red
China, 90 pressures to accept the latter as
member of the United Nations, and a. the
problem of reconciling the projected mutual
security pact-which might require the sta
tioning of our soldiers on Korean soil-with
unifcation conditions calling for the with
drawal of all foreign troops.
Although these and kindred issues obvi-
ously do not lend themselves to simple solutions
or easy answers, they must sooner or later be
dealt with less ambiguously than Mr.. Dulles
has dealt with them thus far. 1t is not to be
expected of course, that he should comment on
them prematurely or while our Governments
policy toward them is in the process of being
formulated and firmly fixed. But he cannot
talk around them indefinitely. Presumably,
after he and the bipartisan group of Senators
return from Korea, he will be able to clarity
at least some of the points that are now much
too fuzzy to be understood.