The Lincoln times., 1954-12-09
COMMUNIST CHINA
GIVES US TASTE
OF COEXlSTENCE

Red China mas provided us
with a better argument than any
we could think up against the
Communist brand of eo-existenee
and the Communist brand is
the only kind we can ever get
by sending thirteen American
prisoners CT war to prison as
spies.
Bear i'll mind that Rel China
was neyeh officially at war with
the United states. The Chinese
troops IL Eorea were volunteers. =
The Popping government had
nothing to do with them and no
control over them. Yet this gov
ernment, which denies that it
had any part in the war, now
takes custody of the prisoners OF
war. tries them in a kangaroo
court on trumped up charges,
and sends them to prison.
1t has violated every precept OF
international law: in fact, it has
made its own international law,
and the rest of the world can
like it or lump it.
And we are asked to coeXiSt
with government like that.
F'urthe., this outlaw govern
ment has the colossal nerve to
demand-not merely to aSk-to
demand that it be admitted as an
honorable member of the family
of nations. 1t is precisely as if a
known criminal applied for a
Job on the police force.
With an ineffable Hypocrisy,
her partner blandly offers as
peaceful coexistence" while she
continues to shoot down our
planes ard to finance and promote
treasonabie conspiracies in a
dozen Countries. including our
Cwn.
Their high officials have told
us in pain words that these hos
tile acts will probably be repeat
ed and that the conspiracies will
so on uuabated under co-exis-
tence. They have told us that
they viii coexist with us COM
mercially and militarily ION
terms meaning their terms, but
ideologically never. If you un-
derstand Communist language,
that means only that all the
peace must be on our side and
that their lawless and treacher-
Gus acts will continue unchecked.
Hence. with the imprisonment
of the thirteen Americans, we
are getting a taste of cocks
tence." We may call this act out
rageouS or barbarouS, we may
use al 1.-The expletives We can find
in the diSctionary, we may write
diplomatic notes without end, but
all of this will roll off the Com
nunist conscience like water off
a ducks nack.
Red Chinas prompt rejection
of the American protest is only
further evidence, if more were
needed, that words alone won't
move them
The on,v language they under
stand is repriSal, as was demon
strated wnen our men shot down
some Chinese planes off Hainan.
We don't know what form the
.eprisal could take, but the State
Department does have informa-
ton on which some positive ac-
ton could be based without fur
tbar role writing
Senator Knowland's proposal
for a blockade of the China coast
would be one way to show that
we mean business, but here again
Secretary Dulles says we must
defer to the sensibilities-or the
tinidity--of Britain and other al
lies. Thai sounds like the Thu
man-Aclleson policy all over
again. We did not like it then;
we like j. no better now.
We would not be risking war
by taking reprisal. On the con-
trary, the whole experience OF
history is this: that every time a
great nation has backed down be-
fore an International bully, 1t
has taken one more step toward
an inevitable war that could have
teen prevented by firmness in
the first place.
Charlotte ObServer)