VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office at
Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
PRINTED AT PALMER, ALASKA, EACH FRIDAY
By the Matanuska Press, Inc.
M-Publisher .. A. J. DeJulio
Editor . Mrs. Marian Badcon
Associate Editor .Virginia Gallant
Barbara Carter .Wasilla Correspondent
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Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
AS I SEE IT
The Pinks Will Now Take Over...
By EARLE W. KNIGHT
(From The Alaska Weekly)
The nation was shocked, dismayed and then en
raged when the news broke that President Truman
had relieved General MacArthur of all \his com
mands ... in plain English had fired him as uncere
moniously as any lumberjack was ever told to get
his pay and go over the hill. "You are authorized,"
said the order of dismissal, "to have issued such or
ders as are necessary to complete desired trav
el to such places as you select." In other words, you
are "canned," MacArthur, but in recognition of
past services we will pay your way to get you out
of the Orient."
And thus passes from the Asi
atic scene the greatest military
, genius, the greatest statesman
and the staunchest enemy of
Communism ever to have repre
sented America in that theatre.
Our destinies in this powder keg
of the Pacific will now be wholly
in the hands of the haberdasher
in the White House, the weak
kneed socialite in the State De
partment who is responsible for
the Korean war, and General
Marshall upon whose advice Chi
na was turned over to the Reds.
Through all the period during
which the Hisses, the Latimores
* and other red and pink advisers
were controlling the soft-minded
sisters of the State Department
in the manipulation of policies
favorable to the Chinese Reds
and therefore of world Commun
ism, MacArthur never wavered
in his belief and his demand that
the machinations of the Kremlin
in the Far East should be realis
tically recognized and should be
stopped. For that fact he became
a marked man, fore-doomed by a
clique not a single member of
which is his equal in any capac
ity.
* .* *
A New Commander But
The Same Old Bear .. .
Lt. General Matthew B. Ridg
way not so long ago echoed the
MacArthur statement concerning
the fact that we had reached a
stalemate in Korea and, under
,prevailing conditions, had no
hope of winning a war. General
Ridgway has proved himself an
aggressive and able fighting man
and during the past few months
the UN Army has been inflicting
disporportionably heavy casual
ties on the Chinese and North
Koreans, but he still has the
same bear by the tail that Mac
Arthur had. It may be altogether
wrong for generals to try to be
diplomats and statesmen but it
certainly is hell for the generals
* when pseudo - diplomats and
statesmen try to be generals.
Neither to the stern warnings
of General MacArthur or the dul
^ cet tones of Sir Bengal Rau have
the Chinese Reds turned an atten
tive ear. They are not going to
talk peace except on terms ruin
ous to the position of the United
States in the Far East. That to us
indicates that decisions about
fighting this war should be made
on a strategic rather than a poli
tical basis.
If ever a nation was literally
between the devil and the deep
blue sea it is the United States . ..
and we did not get in that unen
viable position through any omis
sion or commission of General
MacArthur. Not one person in
each one-hundred thousand of
American citizens knows what
our objectives are in Korea or
what our possibilities of realiz
ing those aims may be . . . and we
question whether President Tru
man or Dean Acheson could give
us the answers if they would.
We Can't Advance,
Don't Dare Retreat . . .
So now we are committed to
fighting a limited war which re
spects the privileged sanctuaries
of the enemy and burns up Amer
ican lives to maintain a stalemate
without chance of victory and
with no fruits of victory if by
some miracle it should be achiev
ed.
As alternatives to such futile
and frustrating warfare we have
two choices. We can get out of
Korea and treat the Orientals to
the spectacle of our running from
the Chinese Reds or we can start
all-out war with China, invade
the mainland and turn the Na
tionalist Chinese on Formosa
loose to help us.
The first of these alternatives
would make us the laughing
stock of the Far East and be an
invitation to French Indo-China
and all of Southeastern Asia with
its treasures of tin, rubber and
other strategic materials to jump
on the Red bandwagon.
The second would overtax our
present military power and in
volve us in a maze of difficulties
with our supposed allies who
want none of a war with China.
It was announced early this
week that the British and the
American governments had a
greed on a Korean policy but our
State Department immediately
followed with the comment that
while conversations 'aimed at
agreements on such a statement
have been under way for sev
eral weeks, “we certainly are not
ready to make any announce
ment.”
And so, there we are. We can’t
advance and we can’t retreat and
“conversations” will probably go
on for several more weeks at the
rate of a few hundred dead and
wounded American boys per
week.
What Are the Policies,
What The Objectives?
In his recent conference with
Army Secretary Frank Pace Gen
eral MacArthur is said to have
stuck to his guns in line with his
various public statements. These
include his conviction that Com
munism can only be defeated by
an all-out effort, presumably in
cluding air attacks on Manchuria
. . . that to neglect Asia and em
phasize the defense of Europe is
a mistake . . . that the Chinese
Reds should be opposed by all
the power the allies can muster
. . . that hopes for any settlement
of the Korean war are entirely
dependent on convincing the Chi
nese they have or will be decis
ively defeated. Add to that the
fact that he has urged that we
utilize the Nationalist Army now
on Formosa and his belief in the
strategic value of Formosa and
you have the reasons which led
President Truman to “with deep
regret” conclude that General
MacArthur “is unable to give his
whole-hearted support to the pol
icies of the United States govern
ment and the United Nations.”
All of which leads us to anx
iously—even prayerfully—inquire
“WHAT ARE THOSE POLI
CIES?” Are the American fam
ilies which are giving their blood
and their dollars entitled to
know?
At the same time General Mac
Arthur was being handed his blue
ticket Ambassador Oliver Franks
of Britain handed our Depart
ment of State a terse note de
manding that we revise the pro
posed Japanese peace treaty to
give Formosa to Red China and
invite the Red Chinese govern
ment to set in on the drawing of
the treaty. Just who are our al
lies and who our enemies?
Worth More Than A
Carload of Achesons . . .
Another question we find some
what puzzling is why, because of
differences of opinion about the
Korean war, it should have been
necessary to relieve General Mac
Arthur of his entire command.
Even the striped pants lads who
have been gunning for him can
find no fault with his masterful
administration of the Japanese
occupation, an administration
which has endeared him to the
Japanese because of its combina
tion of justice, intelligence and
firmness.
The fact that American occupa
tion of Japan will shortly be over
does not mean that American par
ticipation in the affairs of Japan
will be completely ended. At the
moment Japan is disposed to be
friendly to the United States but
it should not be forgotten that the
leopard does not change its spots
over night.
Japan has recently lost its first
major war. The Japanese people
will not be disposed to soon lose
another one, nor have they given
up their hope for occupying a
proud place in the international
sun.
In the conflicts sure to continue
Alaskan Supply
Of Rare Ores
Sought By Industry
The Alaska Development Board
has put out a call from industrial
firms in the States seeking beryl
ore, graphite, mica, and other ores
needed in defense production.
Largest known graphite depos
its in Alaska are found in the Im
muruk Basin, and some beryl has
been found in the Sinuk river
region, both in the Seward Pen
insula. More information may be
obtained from th6 Alaska Devel
opment Board, Juneau.
in the Pacific theatre Japan may
be depended upon to ride with
the nation or political ideology
which looks like a winner. One
MacArthur is worth more to us
today than a carload of Achesons
and we herewith voice the fervid
wish that he comes back to his
country soon and gives us facts
. . . something we have yet to get
from the Truman administration.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember?
CHUGIAK NEWS
The Chugiak Community Club
voted April 11 to sponsor a Boy
Scout Troop. Six boys enrolled
with Ed LeDoux, Jr., an Eagle
Scout, who will serve as Scout
master. Troop chairmen are Dale
Briggs, secretary; Les Fetrow,
treasurer; Paul Swanson, ad
vancement; Vernon Haik, out
doors man, and R. Mounteer.
The Homemakers Club met
with Mrs. Daniel DeLucia April
12. A special meeting to consider
a new constitution is called for
April 25, at the home of Mrs.
Kathy Walker. Proceeds of
$333.52 from the St. Patricks
dance have been turned over to
the Community Club to help fin
ish the hall.
Two more citizens have been
added to the Chugiak population.
The Vernon Haiks and the Gib
Reids each have a new son.
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