Evening star., 1953-06-11
Is y. N. Taking Right Course in Koreo2
To the Editor Of The Star:


i David Lawrence bases his belief
that America admits military defeat in
Korea through the armistice on Presi-
dent EisenhoWer's letter to President
Rhee Of South Korea.
In my opinion, the conclusion Of
the armistice IS victory rather than
a defeat for the United Nations. Like
many other thinking persons. it seems
to me Mr.. Lawrence makes the mistake
of thinking that the purpose OF the
United Nations in waging war in Korea
is to achieve the unif1cation Of Korea,
north and south. On the contrary, its
purpose is to prevent KOrea'S forcible
unification by Communist North Korea
which would place it under Red control.
AS the armiStice seems about to be
signed, the United Nations, with the
effective help Of South Korea herself.
has accomplished its purpose: South
Korea remains unconQuered. If peace
follows the armistice. the unification
of Korea can be worked out through
peaceful methods. Since unification
involves the reconciliation of ideologies
between North and South Korea, it
cannot be done by the use of bullets
and bombs but by convincing the Com
munistS with facts and actualities
proving that democracy and freedom
are better than communism and ter
rorism. With the economic aid and
moral support of the United States
his letter, South Korea will have an
excellent opportunity to so convince
the Communists
Let us refer to relevant history.
The United Nations. by its General AS
sembly resolutions dated November IL,
1947: December IL, 1948. and October
Z, 1850 (the only one mentioned by Mr..
Lawrence), tried to unity Korea by
political and diplomatic means. but
was frustrated by the Communists.
Then on June Is. 1850. Communist
North Korea started its unifying work
by invading South Korea, and that Is
what started the present war, the war
that prevented that work from sue
ceeding.
It looks like supreme naivete for Mr.
Lawrence to say that if America
sought merely to deny to the Com
munists the fruits Of aggression then
the fighting should have stopped on
the 38th Parallel nearly three years
ago. A fight has two fighters and II
one Of them stops fighting the other
wins. If America and her allies had
stopped fighting on the 38th Parallel
on the showing that the Communists
had already been driven out of South
Korea, that would only have meant that
the North Koreans could go on fighting,
have an easier time of it, and even
tualiy conquer South Korea. Rather.
America and her allies had to and did
continue fighting and would have
achieved complete military victory if
not for the unexpected appearance Of
the Chinese volunteers" that gave the
enemy overwhelming numerical superb
ority.
Mr.. Lawrence speaks Of the United
Nations giving up the fight by agree
ing to the armistice. Has it not occurred
to him that the Communists are also
giving up the fight after failing to real
ize their purpose? If there is humilia-
ton, it is to the Communists and not
to America and her Allies. Mr.. Law
renee asserts that President ElSenhoW-
er's letter "says, in effect, that the
United States is just tired Of fghtlng
in Korea and has decided to accept
an armistice." In the first place, the
party that suggests the armistice (Rus-
sia and the Communists in the present
caSe) is the party that proclaimS to the
world that it is tired of fighting. In the
second place, the terms of the arm1Stlce
were not dictated by the enemy to the
United Nations but rather the contrary.
If Mr.. Lawrence did not like any armi-
stice at all, he should have protested
against it two years ago when the
armistice talks were started at Kaesopg
and continued at PanmunjOm.
AS an Asian, the letter of President
Eisenhower, instead of weakening my
faith in" n"America, strengthens and forti-
fies it because it convinces men that
America can use both her material
might and her moral power, her fist and
her heart, effectively and in human
manner. cannot see word in that
letter that can be interpreted as de-
feat, fear or surrender.
Vicente Villamin.
Il
So it's going to be truce at any
price! No wonder we don't have friend
IN the WOrlQ except OOuSnC OneS. WAdt
is happening to America; have we lost
our moral sense? The armed forces
moved into Korea waving flags and CIV
ing the nope of freedom to small ma
ton at grips with Communist mon
ster, only to run up the white flag and
surrender not only a united Korea but
our principles and decency. The spirit
that enabled the cold, hungry. barefoot
men at Valley Forge to do or die in the
face of overwhelming odds, the daring
of the Green Mountain Boys. the patri-
otlsm which overwhelmed Patrick Henry
in his "Give me liberty, or give me
death"-where is it? Where is our
pride? Where is the forceful demon
stration of Intestinal fortitude as rep
resented by Theodore Roosevelt's dare
to the Kaiser? Shame on America in
this hour of craven, abject surrender!
What have the Communists done to
date that would lead us to believe that
they will ever accept united Korea?
Their word, their agreements and any
truce they might sign wouldn't be any
more substantial than the morning dew.
and to think that in our great desire to
II IT,