The Charlotte News

Thursday, July 27, 1950

THREE EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that during a lull in the action, North Korean troops and armor, according to MacArthur headquarters in Tokyo, were massing by night for an attempted knockout blow in the center of the American defense lines.

Correspondent William R. Moore reported that three large enemy columns were concentrating east of Yongdong, in front of the U.S. First Cavalry Division. American artillery had begun to bombard enemy infantry concentrations. Air Force jets and Mustangs swarmed over the area, sending rockets and fire into enemy lines and advancing troops. According to headquarters, two of the three best North Korean divisions were massed in that area.

On the eastern part of the 200-mile arc which now formed the new battlefront surrounding the supply depots at Pohang and Pusan, South Koreans attacked the enemy and drove them back seven miles at Hamchang under U.S. aerial coverage. On the east coast, they advanced toward Yongdok with land artillery and naval guns in support. Six enemy tanks were knocked out by planes and bazookas.

Headquarters reported that an enemy column had been pushed back two miles in the vicinity of Hadong, 70 miles northwest of Pusan. Two other holes were plugged on the approaches to Pusan. Other patrols moved into Hamyang, 78 miles northwest of Pusan, and made contact with an enemy regiment in Namwon, 22 miles southwest of Hamyang. Small numbers of fresh American troops had entered this area the previous day.

General MacArthur had just returned to Tokyo after a swift inspection of the battle front and stated that he was confident of ultimate victory but foresaw a long struggle ahead.

Pentagon officials asked foreign nations contributing troops, as Britain had just agreed to do the previous day along with armor, to provide them in units of no less size than a thousand troops, trained, equipped, and supplied for immediate fighting. Later, the U.S. would supply the foreign troops. London news dispatches had estimated that Britain would supply between a thousand and five thousand men. Turkey had offered 4,500 troops. The Pentagon looked forward to deployment of these troops as the Americans and South Koreans badly needed reinforcements while awaiting reinforcements from the U.S. Holding the line at least twenty miles from Pusan would insure holding the perimeter at the southeast corner of the peninsula and maintaining the supply depots, but if the lines had to be withdrawn further, to within fifteen or a dozen miles, the situation would become critical as long-range enemy artillery could then begin to reach Pusan.

In London, Winston Churchill told Commons that American planes flying from British bases could drop atom bombs on Russia in a third world war, but Russia could also fly across the English Channel and bomb England worse than it had ever suffered before, as well as unleash guided missiles from captured areas of Western Europe such as France. He found it disturbing that England was "more defenseless" than it had ever been. He maintained, however, that Russia had not the uranium resources to produce more than a few atomic bombs at present.

The House passed a bill giving the President authority, to avoid the prospect of sabotage, to direct Coast Guard searches and control movements of all foreign flag vessels entering American ports.

Congressman Carl Vinson, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that the Air Force was planning to increase its size from 48 combat groups to 58 groups within a year, and to 69 groups by the beginning of 1953.

The National Security Resources Board was organizing a 12-person national policy committee from industry, labor, agriculture, and the public, to consult on war mobilization.

The President reiterated at a news conference that he did not believe that there was any need at present for price and wage controls, despite the recommendation for it by Bernard Baruch in testimony to Congress the previous day. But the House Banking Committee turned downed by only a vote a proposal to allow the President to introduce limited controls of prices and wages as well as institution of rationing when necessary. The Committee approved sections authorizing the President to seize plants and materials for military and other national security purposes.

Three Republican Senators proposed cutting the rivers, harbors, and flood control appropriations by 50 percent, and Senator Paul Douglas immediately proposed that the funding be cut by 60 percent.

Japanese fishermen inadvertently hauled up a live torpedo which then exploded, killing 30 and injuring ten others on the boat.

In Hillsborough, N.J., tobacco heiress Doris Duke was allowed by the township to raise pigs on her model farm, but refused permission to feed them imported garbage, which was said to be illegal. The proposed concrete piggery would be air conditioned, have water sprays, drains, and atomizers.

Why not give the piggies a smoking lounge, too?

On the editorial page, "Let's Shoulder the Cost" supports the proposal of Senator Taft that the increased military spending on Korea be placed on a pay-as-you-go basis by raising taxes. Besides being a hedge against inflation and not raising unduly the national debt, it would tell Russia that Americans were willing to tighten their belts in time of cold war or lukewarm war, as well as during hot wars, and would frustrate the Kremlin's plan to see to it that America's resources were depleted enough to cause a depression which would make it easier for Russia to take over Western Europe.