Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-29

photo via radio from Ialp
"CHIANG
Continued From First Page
the people and the defenders
were facing famine. and if am
munition supplies were cut to
the point where the garrison
did not have enough reserves
to cope with an invasion.
Gen. Chiang's last open news
conference in 1855 was on
the eve of Nationalist China's
withdrawal from the Tachen
Islands, 260 miles north of
Formosa. The withdrawal was
covered by the United States
It'll Fleet.
Gen. Chang has met differ
ent. press groups and individual
newsmen since then, but has
held no general news confer
ence.
The 71-year-old generals
simo walked briskly into the
conference room today and
fielded questions easily for more
than an hour.
Calls Talks Futile
Negotiations of any type /
with the Communists are futile
and this includes talks now
underway at Warsaw" the
President said.
Americans should not be so
anxious for a cease-flre," he .
declared. THE Communists /
cannot continue their blockade |
and bombardment indefinitely. I
We must remain firm"
Nov is the time to bomb
the mainland guns" he stated
at one time. But we are fol-
lowing a policy of restraint and
have not acted cut of consider
alton of the spirit of the United
States-Chinese mutual defense
treaty ant United States poll
ICY"
Gen. Chang at first said the
Nationalist government stand
on debating the FormoSa straits
crisis in the United Nations
was under study"
, He later said China would
agree to the debate if the hos
tllities spread and there was
evidence the Soviet Union was
behind the aggression.
AS to the blockade of Que
moy, he said, it lis not as seri-
GUS today as it was at the be-
ginning of the present Red at
tacks. The fighting has proved
the Communists cannot sue
coed by using an artillery block
ade."
The question Of neutralizing
Ouemoy or Matsu, the other
anchor of Nationalist China's
island outpost line of the coast
of Red China, would not be dis
cussed in any negotiations
either by his government or
the United States, he stated.
Without Quemoy and Matsu
there would be no Taiwan
(Formosa),' he added. They
are our shield. They are purely
defensive. If Quemoy and MatSu
were not there, the fighting
would have already spread
deeper into the Formosa straits
and perhaps elsewhere in Asia"
The decision to garrison and
fortify the islands was made
by the Nationalist, he said,
"but the United States APP
proved, realizing their impor-
lance"
Gen. Chang expressed con-
Germ over reports that public
opinion in the United States
does not support the firm
stand taken in the Formosa
crisis.
"They are apprehensive that
the hostilities will be extended"
he said, but the strong defense
has >. forestalled Communist
aggression and kept it from
spreading :"
Gen. Chang predicted that
If Red China were to provoke
a major war, people on the
mainland would revolt within
three months.
He re-emphasized that China
could handle the defense of
Quemoy without use of United
States ground forces.
Il can right here and now
assure the American people
that our armed forces are quite
capable of repeating their vic
tory in 1949 when the Commu-
nists tried to invade Quemoy,"
he declared. There also will be
no call for American ground
forces to participate in actual
. fighting in FormoSa Strait.