◆ SpookStack

ry A: The Role of China The American public seems to be thoroughly convinced that China is the “Number One Enemy” in Asia. Talk of a preventive war to wipe out China’s nuclear potential is prevalent now just as it was during the early 1950’s in regard to the Soviet Union. South Vietnamese often privately complain that, though it is their people who are being killed and their country that is being devastated, the real object of the American military effort is China. Yet there is no indication that so much as a single Chinese has been in- volved in the fighting so far. What then can we say about China? Is this a country bent on establishing a Chinese-dominated, Communist empire in Asia through political subversion and outright military conquest? In that case who can talk of independent nationalism or of revolu- tionary governments making accommodations with the United States? First of all, it must be stated clearly that any speculation based either on subjective prejudices or wishful thinking concerning just what the Chinese will or will not do in any specific situation is dangerous. President Truman and General MacArthur, with all the intelligence resources availabie during the Korean War, proved to be terribly wrong when they arbitrarily chose to ignore Chinese warnings against American troops crossing the 38th parallel and approaching Chinese borders in the autumn of 1950. Yet it is possible to make some valid observations concerning : 27