, TUESDAY,

.Munro Reviews Causes of 55 Near-Debacle in Korean War

(spam to The Guardian by you Munro) .

The American fighting men in Korea don't alibi their reverie!- I've had 6.1!; and generals at the front tell me: "We took a hell of I licking." . ' But what are the basic causes of this near-debacle in the face of Communist aggression that has galvanized the United Nations to action?

The men in the red-clay fox- holes and the dapper colonals at G.H.Q.. Tokyo. are all trying to piece together the answer. There is no pat. reply to the question for it has many puzzling ramifi- cations that will never be sorted

out.

But it is an important ques- tion to try to answer and with- out making any unwarranted criticisms. these seem to be some of the reasons for the troubles the American forces have had:

Most important of course is the enemy. At least three North Ko- rean divisionll. among the 13 or 14 identified. have been trained by Russian advlsors since 1946 for Invasion of South Korea.

Other divisions have been train- ed for one or lwn years for the same job. There doesn't seem to b? any question about the pur- pose of training.

Tough Soldiers '

The North Korean soldinrs arr tough and well-tmlncd Many of them fought in the Chinese Com- munisi armies. Their leadership is good. Most of the young offlccrs are bold and imaginative. The iroops arc indoctrlnalcd by the Communists-fold they are fight- .ing for the iinificaiion of Korea in the face of American imperial- ism. They have made ihr most of their Russian-type weapons and they know far better than west- ern troops how to fight in the mountains. guerilla-style.

The Reds usc fairly orthodox infantry tactics. but can throw masses of men into frontal as- Iauits. while small parties infil- trate around the flanks of the Americans.

The enemy has outnumbered the Americans frequently four or five to one and there have not bcen enough American troops in Korea to hold an extruded line against such strength. despite the fact that the enemy had no air force to speak of and the Ameri- cans had a considerable one.

The North Koreans are brutal. savage soldiers to whom' mass sacrifice apparently means little. Life is cheaper to them than it even was to the Javps. in the Pacific war. The enemy also has its agents all over South Ko- rea and knows what American dia- positlons are.

So much for the enemy. To try to understand the picture of near- disaatcr. you have to 10 back now to the start. of the invasion.

,Pnor IT. S. Intelligence

American intelligence about Uorbh Korean moves seems to love been astonishingly bad. GHQ apparently did not think that the aggression was imminent. When the first news of the Reds cross- ing the 38th parallel was carried by an American news service. GHQ was inclined to discount it and put it down as another bor- der raid. The story in Tokyo is that staff oliiccrs did not even inform Ge-ncral MacArthur about it until six hours later.

That was the first blunder. In- lelllgcnce has never quite caught up with the situation. Even when I left the front. there was no adequate information coming back in the American commanders from behind the enemy lines.

This put iiilf! field commanders under a severe handicap. for they could not properly aniicipalc en- emy moves.

At. the start. the Amcriran high command evidently believed that I few American battalions in Ko- rea would bc enough to convince lhe Communists that they should pull back. Bui this did not work oui.

As it was the American 34th infantry Division was rushed over from Japan picce-meal and put into the line in bils and pieces. The division is cxiremely hiiier about this. The officers and men feel that if they had been ordered to take up defensive position: about the middle of Southern Ko- rea and maria a coordinated stand they could have blocked thc Communist, spearhead and held until oihcr.divislona got over.

lniuleqtintely Trained

Again without being unduly critical. ii is an accepted fact now that the 24th Division and the other occupation divisions in Japan were not adequately train- ed for combat in a spot like Ko- rea. lt has been a fairly soft life for the troops in Japan. Many of them are young. green kids. it we; a terrible experience for them to face highly-trained North Korean forces.

v I don't think the American sol- ,'Iller had any idea when this thing started what the fighting was all about. The stock answer I got from G.I's was: "I guess

i Pm fighting. because 1'm in the

Irmy. I got to kill gooks or get killed myself."

In the first fierce phase of the lampalg Ainu-icon field leader- uilp probably was not as good as it should have been. although even than the commanders had perilously little to work with. but I good many officers and men seemed incapable of adjusting

V their thinking to the necessities

ofvfthe campaign--to got off the roads and min in the hills.

...m.M...m..........m... moi-clal aircraft right from the U. S.-Ind they do the lrick.

Wireless communications kept breaking down. One day with the 24th Division I found divisional headquarter. was out of touch with its leading ragiments for most of the morning and after- noon. In fact. two American cor- respondents and'myself brought back word from the Chlnju that Chinju had fallen to the Reds. It was the first word the 24th Division had received. The general who fought the Chlnju battle came to divisional headquarters to confirm our report In hour later.

in that same battle. there was one incredible muddle. Three new Pershing tanks that could deal with the T-SMBS had been mov- ed lit: to the Maten-Chlnju road. They were vital to the American holding action there.

But they burned out some fan- belts and some voltage meters on the trip and wirelessed back to base for spares. The flrbt box of spare: that was dropped by a small plane was fanbclts all right. but they were not the right size.

The tanks remained immobilis- ed on the road outside Chinju. Another plane came over with what. was supposed to be the right spares. The tankers 0901195 up the box and found it contained 45 calibre pistols.

The Reds over-ran the tanks and killed the crows on the road.

It was the general himself who told me this story-told it in tears of rage.

Fundamonhl Reason

But the fundamental reason for the early defeats iii the over- whelming masses of men that the enemy threw at the Americans By daring manoeuvre. merciless. ruthless North Koreans outflank- ed and infiltrated the U. S. lines and by icrrorlstic tactics numbed green G.l.'s.

The mystery remains. however. as to how the Reds have kept going under the American air and U. N. naval attacks and in the face of the buildup in the beach- head. How do they keep getting ammunition and. gasoline to the front when their lines of coni- municstlon are being continually attacked?

I asked intelligence officers about this and there is a strong suspicion that the North Koreans established scores, even hundreds of dumps secretly in South Korea before the invasion.

They also might have sent junks down the coast. loaded with supplies. that could be picked up lin the inlet! and coves as the advance went on.

I tried this theory out on Ad- miral William Andrewes. com- mander of the Royal Navy. com- mander of the U. N. fleet units carrying out the west coast blockade. He thought it was the only answer. for he is convinced that very few enemy ships are running the blockade successfully.

(Copyright Southam News Ser- vices).

Business i Spotlight l

By Forbes Rhude Canadian Press Business Editor Commercial opinion in Yorkshire

anticipates a strong opening of the wool marketing season in Austral- ia Aug. 28, says an International Wool Secretarial report lo the Wool Bureau, lnc.. Toronto.

Though there is evidence of consumer resistance in some wool-' consuming countries. says the re- port. conditions at the tare dominated by the strong statistic 1 position of wool-which mea s that more wool is being sought than is being produced.

Meantime the Canadian Woollen and Knit Goods Manufacturers As- sociation reports that wool cloth was shipped to Canada from Bril- ialn during the first five -months of this year at I rate 28 per' cent above the 1938 level.

Moat Lower

Chicago meat men expect the prices of meal to come down. says a Wall Street Journal story. and any drop in the United states is likely to cross the border. The Journal adds;

Lower livestock prices should make such essential packinghouse by-products as hides, tallow and lard a little cheaper.

"Meat marks are mercurial. and snticlpai.-ions of lower prices could be disappointed if, for instance. the country heads into general shanp inflation."

Another Journal story says that drugstores in California. tired of lighting food supermarkets, now are Ieekinrslllsncles with them. It says that in Ontario, Csllf.. Owl Drug Company. llexall's west coast chain. has hitched one of its units to Lucky Star Market, a grocery ouiili.

They have each invested hslf the capital for I new supermarket "which might but be described as I 'di-ugoceryi where I lady can push her cart ovdr ubout 21.000 feet of floor space an pile it high with evarytblng from potatoes to patent medicine."

emu. roroiff-i'orr

"shuns: muss counui lit- l I II ONO Qfl nah" M In on on

0. ttolfu;-Inlbtcau tan

However: '

I so Ibo sat. ms lookod It Lucy and said nothing. not knowing whst to say. There was nctblnz uncomfortable Ibouii it In there often was when you were supposed

Marrying Mark

! Ito talk and didn't. Lu Just sat

viourr: nnanau. DUNN Lana looked out. the wingw. I And then suddenly VIld'io spoke Comm ed .almost. before she knew it. "It was " the telephone-Mrs. Waterford.

You know-Elise. Do you sometimes find thinll Qulfaoipuszling?"

Lucy brought her uiorughta back from the broad lawn beyond the windows. "Often," she said. "Bui: puzzles u'oii't so bad. You cm make a game of them if you just. take them as they come. It's really not so much the puzzle Is what you do with it."

"Oh. I see." said Valerie. It was

hwy. ' nvumel do,” Ion”, you.” a;mi;f-er; angle and suggested possi-

oomlng for a day with me veiy:

She was almost at the front door, bdors Ibo Apparently remembered

the others. Lucy and Valerie still

lit together in the big chair. They

were chatting hllllls. but looked

up as she called to them. "I'll be

5991"! You very soon. Valerie dar-

Unl. Good-bu. was Hadley. so

nice to have met you."

"Good-bye. an-s. Waterford." ma

xony 'L;llt1:y watched her and wondered mm 1 . i e would say anything more. "'k ”" ”"”" ”” Vmm she hoped .she would, but ma

quickly; "but. now I must study all day. You see. I've been missing so much education-"

"Dullng I don't give up that

made up her mind not to pry. Valerie moved I little nearer.

she would tell Lucy. After all. it

itutor couldn't be only for books.

OIIUY.” said misc softly. "You'll "M ,F.. n d . iLucy was very wise. "You see, ! t,h".g::1n'. 5 e mun ed m"”ldon'i'. like her. Mrs. Waterford. I

- mean. My moths did. That is. I ' ' ' suppcse she did, They were to- llise made good her thre.at.two.get.her A good deal anyway. when- dill! later. she called Valerie latcl evr I -was home. of course that in the sftemoon. asking her toi wasn't very much. And then there's lunch the next day. she said no- being loyal and not criticizing and thing about Lucy. Valerie hnp-,nll. And still there it is-I don't pcned to be in her own room when like her." the call came. she had I curlous' Lucy wondcrod if it were pos- illuslon of walls closing in gs phg'alba that less than ten years lay tried frantically to think or somelvbetween them. She felt like reason why she couldn't go. Aggolnihdothuselah. ”I often get. like that." it was Mark who saved the day.'she said.

"I coudn't promise without .sk.i Valerie looked up. "Really?" she in: my father." She was alnioshlskod hopefully. faint with relief, I "Absolutely. And when I do I

Elise became reproachful. Valerie Wm "-ilnt0 11 kind 01 limit I 0311 could practically see the droop.iit "Making Excuses." Not for my- in: red line of her lips. Elise saialself-thatls not so good-but for she must ask him that vary nigmiother people. Especially when you and telephone her at once. Valerie 40!” "30 'vh9m- I "link mlllbe i-hey premised. she put the telephone arenlt happy. or their shoes don't down and sat. staring at it, fit. or somebody dropped them on Lucy came in and sound he, 3 their heads when they were babies. few minutes later. "I wondered it You know-like that." you'd like I couple sets of tennis, Valerie laughed. "That's fun." or I swim in that adorable pool?" she said. "I wonder what I could she suggested. "I'm not going to think up for Elise? Would the head

make a bookworm of you, you dropping one do?"

know." ' ”Well, first tell me why you don't "Yes of course "" said Vi i like he”.

obedmluy. ' ' i 3 " S "Do you like her?" countered

- . - rue GUARDIAN. CHARLUITETOWN

titaoan Wssiittlosoontoteli. Yousse.!nevsi-ialdwssonber until last. night."

"obi" said Valarie disappoint- ediy. "But sometimes you can tell right may. look at father and me and you."

"I suppou that was an uncut-

ion. . :

"I see." said Valarie. "won sup- pose you were mo --I mean I-Ind didn't like Elle. Whit oscuu would you make? I mean for hot?"

Lucy thought hard. lbs would .

not be lacking in mantIl (minu- tics. shedocidod. arlnng u she stayed at wide was. "You didn't tell me why you don't like her," she said. "It's like this.” Valerie explained. she drew on the bright ohintz of her chair with a pointed finsor. "she's going from here to here. you see." she made a amight line bo- tween two points. "But she doesn't. Hie goes this way-" I mass of curves indicated lllao's cimsltovul ccurae. Lucy looked at Valeria in -amazement. "And than she wants to ask you something terribly. Ind she doesn't. She just talks around it until you get all mixed up and tell her something you don't want. her to find out. so you see. she isn't 3, very nice person. At least. I don't think so."

"There are the excuses I told you about."

"All right. You begin."

"well--" said Lucy. "she's alone, isn't aha? Being lonely often makes people disagreeable."

"she didn't have to be." explain- ed Valerie. "There was her hus- band. He was quits nice. Not. very handsonie or young. but nice. And she knew he wasn't very young or handsome when she married him. Then after a while they weren't married any more. If she was lcnely why didn't she keep him?"

"1 give it up." said Lucy. she had rather I feeling of being car- ried over her head.

To be continued

ILACKHEADS Gh;;i";:r2l:'i::;is:; &S.'i'i.'iii".'m.im.

wet th d ppl to the face . Everyo i.i:?i:i.:.a ywill be dim.

Monday Morning Sale of

Bleached Sheets Substandards

These sheets all have small flows which have been mended ai

jibe factory. The flaws are so slight they are hardly noticeable. These sheets will give you the some serviceable wear of Firsf-Quai-

"In other words, ycs laughed Lucy.

or no,"

V leri "whstfa happenedi

a e, Lucy thought furiously. ”How do

The are safe. sure and simple WIY 0

remove 0 I10 5.

Come with plain and hemsfifchod hams.

to you kitten?" Valerie sat and looked. back ati t s

NOW BUY

M50” e

at an amazingly

her. she hadn't yet got, gnu,-(.13. used to saying what she really thought. She had lived so long in 3 World of outward w uiescence.

ALEXANDRA W. I.

Mrs. Nathaniel Macxinnon was hos.-tess to the Alexandra women's Institute for the month of August. Meeting opened in the usual man- her with slnslnz of Ode Ind Creed repeated in unison. Nine members answered to roll call. with three visitors present.

Minutes of previous meeting were read. approved and signed. Treasurer gave her report of re- cent ice cream social: bills pre. eented and paid. Mrs. Nat. Mac- Kinnon and Mrs. Bruce Judson gave their reports on annual con- vention.

Discussion followed re, buying of cans collectively for, summer cunning. and book of poems by ”John of the Lilacs.” Correspond- ence was read and disposed of. It was agreed to postpone ice cream social for time being.

Some of the members offered to meet at the school for the purpose of cleaning and re-varnishing desks and chairs the following Monday night. September meal- ing was invited to thc, home of Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Gordon Burhoe. Lunch committee. Mrs. Ernest Maccabe. Mrs. Bruce Jud- son and Mrs. George MacLennan. Roll call to be responded to with recipe for fat school lunch. Col- lection 85 cents.

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