Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1951)
Before Coiurress 01 vjvuuo -WASHINGTON, April 19 -WV A "stenographic transcript of Gen eral Douglas MacArthur's address to congress today follows: Mr. President, Mr.: Speaker and distinguished members of the con gress: I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and pride humility in the wake of those great architects of our . history who have stood here before me, pride in the reflection that this home of legislative debate repre sents human liberty in the purest form yet devised. Here are centered the hopes and aspirantions and faith of the en tire human race. Partisanship Refuted I do not stand here as advocate for any partisan cause, for the is sues are fundamental and reach quite beyond the realm of partisan considerations. They must be re solved on the highest plane of na tional interest if our course is to prove sound and our future pro tected. I trust, therefore, that you will do me the justice of receiving that which I have to say as solely ex pressing the considered viewpoint of a fellow American. I address you with neither ran cor nor bitterness in the fading twilight of life, with but one pur pose in mind: to serve my coun try. (Applause). The issues are global, and so interlocked that to consider the problems of one sector oblivious to those of another is to court disaster for the whole. While Asia is commtmly referred - to as the gateway to Europe, it is no less true that Europe is the gateway to Asia, and the broad influence of the one can not fail to have its impact upon .the other. . Defeatism Assailed There are those who claim our strength is inadequate to protect on both fronts, that we cannot divide our effort. I can think of no greater expression of defeatism. (Applause). If a potential enemy can divide his "strength on two fronts, it is for us to counter his effort. The communist threat is a global one. Its successful advance in one sec tor ; threatens the destruction of every other sector. You can not appease or otherwise surrender to communism in Asia without si multaneously undermining our ef forts to halt its advance in Europe. (Applause). Beyond pointing out these gen eral truisms, I shall confine my discussion to the general areas of Asia. , : . Before one may objectively as sess -t the - situation now existing there, he must comprehend some thing of Asia's past and the revo-. lutionary changes which have marked her course. up to the pres ent. Throw Off Shackles : Long exploited by the so-called colonial powers, with little oppor tunity to achieve any decree of social justice, individual dignity or a higher" standard of life such as guided our-own noble administra tion in the Philippines, the people of Asia found their opportunity in the war just past to throw off the shackles of colonialism and now see "the dawn of new opportunity, and heretofore unfelt dignity, and the self-respect of political free dom. Mustering half of the earth's population, and 60 per cent of its natural resources, these peoples are rapidly consolidating a new force, both moral and material, with which to raise the living standard and erect adaptation of the design of modern progress to their own distinct cultural en vironments. Whether one adheres to the con cept of colonialization or not, this is the direction of Asian progress and it may not be stopped. Economic Frontiers Shift It is a corollary to the shift of the world economic frontiers as the whole epicenter of world af fairs rotates back toward the area whence it started. In this situation, it becomes vi tal that our own country- orient its policies in consonance with this basic evolutionarycondition rather than pursue a course blind to real ity that the colonial era is now past and the Asia- peoples covet the right to shape their own free destiny, , What they eek now is friendly guidance, understanding and support, not imperious direc tion (applause); the, dignity of equality and pot the shame of subjugation. Their pre-war standard of life,, pitifully low, , is infinitely lower now in the devastation left in war's Wake. World ideologies play little part in Asian thinking and are little understood. Strive for Opportunity What the people strive for is the opportunity for a little more foodi V mi l f - i 't """" w6A GEN. DOUGLAS Mae ARTHUR "Old soldiers never die they just fade away." in their stomaches, a little better clothing on their backs and a little firmer roof over their heads, and the realization of the normal nationalist urge for political free dom. These political-social conditions have but an indirect bearing upon our own national security, but do form a backdrop to contemporary planning which must be thought fully considered if we are to avoid the pitfalls of unrealism. Of more direct and immediate bearing upon our national security are the changes wrought in the strategic potential of the Pacific ocean in trie course oi tne past war. Prior thereto, the western strat egic frontier of the United States lay on the littoral line of the Americans, with an exposed is land salient extending out through Hawaii, Midway and Guam to the Philippines. Avenue of Weakness That salient proved not an out post of strength but an avenue of weakness along which the enemy could and did attack. The Pacific was a potential area of advance for any predatory force intent up on striking at the bordering land areas. All this was changed by lour Pacific victory. Our strategic fron tier then shifted to embrace the entire Pacific ocean, which became a vast moat to protect us as long as we hold it. Indeed, it acts as a protective shield for all . of the Americas and all free lands of the Pacific ocean aTea. We control it to the shores of Asia by - a chain of islands extending in an arc from the Aleutians to the Marian nas, held by us and our free al lies. From this island we can domi nate with sea and air power every Asiatic port from Vladivostok to Singapore with sea and air pow er, every Iport, as I said, from Vladivostok to Singapore and prevent any hostile movement in to the Pacific. Sea Control Essential Any predatory attack from Asia must be an amphibious effort. No amphibious force can be successful without control of the sea lanes and the air over those lands in its avenue of advance. With naval and air supremacy and modest ground elements to defend bases, any ma jor attack from continental Asia Arthur MacArthur, 13-yexr-old son f Gen. and Mrs. Do arias Mac Arthur, rot his first look at the America mainland im San Fran cUc. lie Is shown here with his soother, and fas the rear aro San Francisco's mayor. Elmer Ksblnson (left) 'and Got. Earl Warren. toward us or our friends in the Pacific would be doomed to fail ure. ' Under such conditions, the Paci fic no longer represents menacing avenues of approach for a pros pective invader. It assumes, in stead, the "friendly aspect. of, a peaceful lake. : ' ' ' ' -1 0ur line of defense is a' natural one and can be maintained with a minimum of military effort and expense. - It envisions" no attack against anyone; nor does It pro vide the bastions essential for the of fensive ' operations, but properly maintained, would be an Invincible defense against aggression. Line Depends on Segments j Tne holding of this littoral de fense line in the western Pacific is entirely dependent upon holding all; segments therof, for any ma jor breach of that line by an un friendly power would render vul nerable to determined attack every other major segment. This is a military estimate as to which I have yet to find a military leader who will take exception. (Ap plause). j For that reason, I have strongly recommended in the past, as a matter of military urgency, that under no circumstances must For mosa fall under communist control (applause). Such an eventuality would at once threaten the free dom of the Philippines and the loss of Japan, and might well force our western frontier back to the coast of California, Oregon and Washington. (Applause) Chinese Changes Cited To understand the changes which now-appear upon the Chi nese mainland, one must under stand the changes in Chinese char acter and culture over the past 50 years. China up to 50 years ago was completely non-homogenous, being compartmented into groups divided against each other. The war-making tendency was almost non-existent as they still followed the tenets of the Confucian ideal of Pacifist culture. 5 At the turn of the century un der the regime of Chang Tso-Lin efforts for greater homogenity pro duced the start of a nationalist urge. This was further and more Successfully developed under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, but has been brought to its greatest fruition under the present regime to the point that it has now taken on the character of a United Na tionalism of increasingly domin ant aggressive tendencies. Through the past 50 years the Chinese people have thus become militarized in their concepts and in their ideals. Excellent Soldiers i They now constitute excellent soldiers, with competent staffs and commanders. This has produced a new and dominant power in Asia, which, for its own purposes, is al lied with Soviet Russia but which in its own concepts and methods has become aggressively imperial istic, (applause) with a lust for expansion and increased power normal to this type of imperialism. There is little of the ideological concept either one way or another m the Chinese make-up. The standard of living is so low and the capital accumulation has been so thoroughly dissipated by war that the masses are desperate and eager to follow any leadership Which seems to promise the al leviation of woeful stingencies. I have from the beginning be lieved that the Chinese commun ists' support of the North Koreans was the dominant one. "Lust for Expansion" Their interests are at present parallel with those of the Soviet, but I believe that the aggressive ness recently displayed not only in Korea but also in Indo-China and Tibet and pointing potentially to ward the south reflects predomin antly the same lust for the expan sion of power which has animated every would-be conqueror since the beginning of time (applause). The Japanese people since the war have undergone the greatest reformation recorded in modern history. With a commendable will, eagerness to learn, and marked capacity to understand, they have from the ashes left in war's wake erected in Japan an edifice dedi cated to the supremacy of individ ual liberty and personal dignity, and in the ensuing process there, has been created a truly represen tative government committed to the advance of political normality, freedom of economic enterprise, and social justice. (Applause) Politically, economically, and so cially Japan is now abreast of many free nations of the earth and will not again fail the univer sal trust. ' They Meet Challenge I That it may be counted upon to wield a profoundly beneficial in fluence over the course of events in Asia is attested by the magni ficent' manner! in which the Jap anese people have met the recent challenge of war, unrest and con fusion surrounding them from the Outside and checked communism within their own frontiers with out the slightest slackening in their forward progress. f I sent all four of our occupation divisions to the Korean battle front without the slightest qualms as to the effect of the resulting power vacuum upon Japan. The results fully justified my faith. (Ap plause) ";' j I know of no nation more se rene, orderly and industrious, nor in which higher hopes can be en tertained for future . constructive service in the advance of the hu man race. :-' . u-- .- :-- Of our former ward, the Philip pines we can look forward in con fidence that .the existing unrest will be corrected and a strong and healthy nation will grow in the longer aftermath of the war's ter rible destructiveness. .We must be patient and understanding and never fail them, as in our hour of need they did not fail us. ( Ap plause) . ; ; A Christian nation, the Philip pines stands as a mighty bulwark of Christianity in the Far East, and,! its capacity for high moral leader-1 ship in Asia is unlimited, r :'--! ; The government , ol the republic of China (on Formosa) r has had the oDDortunityto' refute by action much of the malicious gossip which so .undermined the' strength of Its leadership on the Chinese main land; (Applause ). The Formogan people are receiving a just and enlightened-administration with ma jority representationin the organs of government, and. politically, economically- and socially they ap pear to be advancingalong sound and constructive lines. . ' - ; Decision "Sound" One i With this brief insight Into the surrounding areas.' I now turn to the Korean conflict S v-1 While I was not consulted prior to the president's decision to in tervene in support of the republic of Korea, that decision, from a military standpoint, proved a sound one. (Applause). As I say, it prov ed to be a sound one, -as we hurl-, ed back the invader -and decimat ed his forces. Our victory ' was complete, and our objectives with in reach, when Red China Inter vened with numerically superior ground forces. This created a new war and an entirely new situation, a situatiofl not contemplated when our. forces were committed against the North Korean invaders; a situation which called for new decisions in the diplomatic sphere to permit the realistic adjustment of military strategy. Such decisions have not been forthcoming. (Applause). While no man in his right mind would advocate sending our ground forces into continental China, and such was never given thought, the new situation did urgently demand a drastic revision of strategic plan ning if our political aim was to defeat this new enemy as we had defeated the old one. (Applause). Blockades Necessary Apart from the military need, as I saw it, to neutralize this sanctu ary protection given the enemy north of the Yalu,: I felt that mili tary necessity in ; the conduct of the war made necessary (1) the intensification of our economic blockade against China, (2) the imposition of a naval blockade against the China coast, (3) re moval of restrictions on air recon naissance of China's coastal area and of Manchuria (applause), (4) removal of restrictions on the for ces of the republic of China on Formosa, with logistical support to contribute to their effective oper ations against the Chinese main land. (Applause). For entertaining these views, all professionally designed to support pur forces in Korea and to bring hostilities to an end with the least possible delay and at a saving of countless American and allied lives, I have been severely criticiz ed in lay circles, principally abroad, despite my understanding that from a military standpoint the above views have been fully shared in the past by practically every military leader concerned with the Korean campaign, in cluding our own joint chiefs of staff. (Applause) (standing ova tion) Reinforcements Refused I called for reinforcements, but was informed that reinforcements were not available. I made clear that if not permitted to destroy the enemy built-up bases north of the Yalu, if not permitted to utilize the friendly Chinese force of some 600,000 men on Formosa, if not permitted to blockade the China coast to prevent the Chinese reds from getting succor from without, and if there was to be no hope of major reinforcements, the position of the command from the military standpoint forbade victory. We could hold in Korea by con stant maneuver and in an area where our supply line advantages were in balance with the supply line disadvantages of the enemy, but we could hope at best for only an indecisive campaign with its terrible and constant attrition upon our forces if the enemy utilized its full military potential. I have constantly called for the new political decisions essential to a solution. -Nothing More Revolting" Efforts have been made to dis tort my position. It has Jeen said in effect that I was a warmonger. Nothing could be further from the truth. (Applause). ; I know war as few other men now living kjnow it, and nothing to me (applause) and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it use less as a means of settling inter national disputes. (Applause) , Indeed, the second day of Sep tember, 1945, just following the surrender of the Japanese nation on the Battleship Missouri, I for mally cautioned as follows: Men' since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various meth ods through the ages have been attempted to devise an internation al process to prevent or. settle dis putes between nations. From the very start workable methods were found in so far as individual citi zens were concerned, but the me chanics of an instrumentality of. larger international scope have never been successful. Alliances, Balances Fail - Military alliances, balances of power, - leagues of nations, .all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible , of war. The utter destructiveness of war now1 blocks out this alterna tive. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some great er and more equitable "system, our armageddon will be at our door. The problem is basically . theologi cal and involves a spirit of irides cence and improvement of human character that will 'syiudironlze with i our almost matchless ad vances in science, I art. literature and. all the material and cultural developments of the past ; 2.000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh (applau se). -: ' -V'J : . - But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available means to bring It to a wift,end. War's very object is victory, vnot; prolonged indecision. (Applause) -:; In war indeedithere' is no sub-- stitute for victory. (Applause). Appeasement Begets Wars There are some who for varying reasons would appease. Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with un mistakably 'emphasis'that appease ment but begets new and bloodier wars. It points to nO single in stance where this end has justified that means, where f appeasement has led to more than a sham peace. Like .blackmail it- lays the ; basis for' neW'andsuccessively greater demands ' until, as in blackmail, violence becomes the only other alternative., .Why, my soldiers ask ed me, surrender military advan tages to an enemy in the field? I could not .'answer (applause). - Some may say to avoid spread of the conflict into an all-out war with China. Others, to avoid So viet Intervention. Neither explan ation Seems valid, for China is already engaging . with the 'maxi mum power it can commit, and the Soviet will not necessarily - mesh its. actions with our, moves. Like a cobra, any new enemy will, more likely strike whenever it feels that the relativity of military and oth er potentialities. is in its favor on a world-wide- basis. Tragedy Heightened f the tragedy of Korea is further heightened by the fact that its military action "was confined to Its territorial limits. It condemns that nation, which it is our purpose' to save, to suffer the devastating im pact of full naval and air bom bardment while the enemy's sanc tuaries are fully protected i from such attack and devastation! Of the nations of the world, Ko- rea alone, up to now. Is the sole one which has risked its all against communism; The magnificence of the courage ' and fortitude of ' the Korean people defies description. (Applause). They have chosen to risk death rather ' than; - slavery. Their last words to, hie were: 'Don't scuttle the Pacific.', (Ap-" plause), . j v". " I have just left your fighting sons in ' Korea. They j have done their hest there, and I can. report .to you , without reservation that they are splendid in eyery1 way. (Applause) , j 4L. . .. . .. . . Would End Conflict : " It was - -my constant g effort to preserve them and -end j this- sav age. , conflict honorably ; and. with the. least loss of time and a mini mum sacrifice' of life. Its' growing bloodshed has caused me the deep est - anguish and anxiety. Those galkyvt men- will remain often: In my" thoughts .and in. my, prayers always. .(Applause); ( . I am . closing my . 52 j years " of military service. (Applause) When I joined' the army, even before the turn ' of ; the; century, it was the fulfillment . of all of ,my boyish hopes and .dreams. The world, has turned over many times since I took the oath at West Point, and the, hopes - and. dreams i have - all since vanished, but I still remem ber the refrain of one of the most popular , barracks ballads of , that day which proclaimed most proud ly that old soldiers never -die; they just fade "away. And like the old soldier of-that ballad, I "now close my military, career and j just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good bye. (Applause); The States CKXXX Salem, Oregon. Friday, flrrfl 2 ISS1 3 HONOR STUDENTS , J ORETECH ; Winston D. Pur vine, director, Oregon Tech, has announced the' following Silverton students on the honor roll for the winter term: LaVonne J. -Roemer, accounting, and Jentoft Johansen, watch repairing. '" i - I . - . v . ..r . . r - : , - i We are pleased to announce. the opening of our Branch Office Saturday, April 21 - i 1515 Hood St. at Broadway - Room 202 All "our 'policyholders and friends ore cordially Invited to come in to see us.-v - - ' ' . j .. - This Branch Office represents, ten counties in the Mid-WiW lamette ValleV. ..... . . I . :! - i i , ; V-We are qualified to.handle all your insurance needs ." . .FOR . . V 4 4 ! . LIFE ACCIDENT HEALTH HOSPITALIZATION INDIVIDUAL FAMILY COVERAGE EMPLOYEES GROUP , . .. ...... . . .; ! - : - - , Branch Manager H. M. H1T Uflhtfoot - Local Field Underwriters . Harold A; Lot? , M.A."Ar!?Halbrook Phone 2-9842 ' NORTH AMERICAN LIFE a CASUALTY COMPANY Home Office Minneapolis Pacific Division Seattle - ' 1 1 " NEW MJBMiM "The (Fabric With a Memory" !pliiliil' U; ..lAX .Only Modern research has at last brought forth a ma gic new viscose blend that is superbly comfort able, tremendously long-wearing . . . and it looks like top! quality wool gabardine! It's am azing, it's new . . . Come in and see it today. Fabric is permanently crease-resistant It's laboratory tested for longer wear i The texture is new ... luxurious ... practical I Waist sizes :29 to 44, order by mail or phone.. Now Nylon-Gab Slacks Now Durashark Slacks Expertly tailored by Days at only I 1 i i To support our home-owned Salem Senators our store will be closed tonight at 5:30. Let's get behind our team. Go to the game tonight. L evi . ?, j- 4 i ' J.'- '.jiirniMtrjii,