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Show i - ! ! SCANNING THE WEEK'S NEWS : i of Main Street and the World "Cease-Fire" Talks Should Follow Unusual Pattern of Korean Events ';; PEACE LIKE THE WAR PUZZLING With the confusing Korean :' '; conflict little more than a year old, the prospects for peace suddenly be came brighter than ever. For the average citizen on the Main streets of America, however, the promise and the possibilities of an end to hostilities seemed just about as puzzling as ever. !.. American government and military leaders at first took a dim view of the "feelers" for cease-fire negotiations. With understandable caution, i they mistrusted the sincerity and purpose of Red China and those pulling the strings of the puppet from behind. But UN and American leaders ; would not miss a chance for a just peace. Truman sounded the keynote: i .J "We are ready (to negotiate), as we have always been." i As America, and then the world, watched with abated breath, the j peace campaign followed the pattern of war aggressiveness and then reticence on both sides. Appropriately enough, thin-lipped Jacob Malik made the first overture suggesting a cease-fire and withdrawal behind the famed 38th parallel as the "first step." After some half-silent political parrying, negotiations began through normal diplomatic channels in Washington and Moscow. Then wires hummed between Tokyo, Peiping and Pyongyang. Anxious to save lives, Ridgway declared himself ready to talk to the . Reds as early as July 5th. They, however, wanted a preliminary meeting on the 8th and a meeting of the top brass later. Ridgway concurred, and the first meeting was held in a once-rich home in the "no-man's-land" of Kaesong. The UN sent three colonels, one a South Korean. The Reds dispatched dis-patched a like number, but included "receptive personnel." The first meeting, merely a preparing for the real negotiations, was tense, and held in utmost secrecy. American officers returned tight-lipped j to their stations, but said the meeting had been "harmonious." r Tuesday the top brass began to get at the core of things. As they did, , American officials pointed out to the folks at home that a cease-fire order would not be an assurance of peace, and that the approach to this one seemed fraught with trickery. The statement, intended, no doubt, to ward off optimism, was not necessary. Generally, the American belief was that the Communists wanted to quieten the Korean scene in advance of a new outbreak somewhere else. The only optimists were those who thought the quest for a case-fire meant ' . the Russians were desirous of shifting main efforts to the diplomatic I fronts in view of the disastrous failures in Korea. Some so-called "reliable" ' j sources also said that Stalin was ailing, that there was a general internal I struggle in Moscow to get in line for his job, and so the Reds needed more time to devote to the home front. One of the most logical ideas was that Red China wanted out while it still could "save face" and say it had not lost the war. Factually there was less truth than speculation everywhere, j Only the Reds knew why the peace movement originated. Keener U.S. observers marked the week the beginning of peace in Korea. Yet, they were quick to point out that, if peace comes, the hypo-j hypo-j chondriac world would be rid of one headache, and then could turn atten- tion to many other ailments. A peace in Korea mightbe fuel for a colder war. " H' V.- - - J , s Joy That Is Real, If Premature Patients at a hospital in Korea let their spirits rise after word of the ; possible "cease-fire" negotiations reached them, hoist nurse upon their shoulders. For most of them, the war is already over their joy is for I comrades on the front lines, SHIFT INTO REVERSE As the anxious world watched the move for peace in Korea, the business world reluctantly checked reverse gears to I see if it was in working order. j Business analysts knew that cessation of hostilities would lessen the fj feeling of urgency and military spending would fall short of projected plans. Once the last shot had echoed in Korea, business could expect two :j things. First, the government would drastically cut down on quantities ! ordered. World War II stockpiles taught Washington a lesson. Second, delivery dates would be strung out over longer periods, with a few "rush" orders. .- Future policy of business: to cease producing all-out and still remain ready for all-out production. INFLATION PROFILE During the year of Korean war, wholesale prices increased 20 per cent; retail prices about 10 per cent. Although restrictive re-strictive measures had curbed the rise, and even dropped a few items down, defense spending and cutbacks in civilian production point to a strong inflationary in-flationary trend, unless strong controls are applied. Price director Michael Di Salle faced newsmen with these words, "We will need every bit of price control we have had" to combat inflation. He pledged to keep up the fight for more and stronger controls, said the public was beginning to get on the controls bandwagon. '! IN THIS CORNER While Di Salle spoke to the newsmen, congress- men on the hill were getting squared away for their own battle royal over ; prices and controls. J The administration was fighting gamely uphill, with two major sore j spots: (1) An amendment sponsored by the agriculture committee to pro- ' hibit all price rollbacks on farm products, rescinding even the live beef ,J cut of 10 per cent already in effect. (2) A proposal by the labor committee :i to revise the makeup of the wage stabilization board so as to give public members control and to take away WSB's authority to handle labor dis-' dis-' putes. UNDAUNTED DEFENSE The President's trouble-shooter, W. j Averell Harriman, spoke in support of the President's 8.5 billion dollar ! foreign aid program, warned congress that any relaxation now in the de- ; fense program "can lead only to disaster." i. THE OTHER WAR As the world watched for peace in Korea, President Pres-ident Truman called on congress to end the state of war with Germany, now nine-and-one-half years old. As he made the request, Britain, Aus-i Aus-i tralia and New Zealand ended their state of war with the Germans, and j Canada and France were expected to follow suit shortly. India had done so ::j on the first day of the year. : The moves were a definite attempt to bring the German people back :! in' membership among the nations of the free world. Coming at such a j time. however, the action seemed part of the jig saw puzzle that is our i world of today. Wars, peace, and rumors of both. LEST WE FORGET And still another sign of the times came from Washington with the announcement that the U.S., Australia, and New Zea-' Zea-' Jan3 have worked out a defense treaty. .Uncle Sam is not forgetting the ' Pacific area. j ; The treaty, which will go unsigned until the Japanese peace treaty in 1 San Francisco two months hence, is expected to state that the United j Sates will consider an attack on Australia and New Zealand from any , : quarter dangerous to the peace and security of this country. The treaty might well be the nucleus of a future pact embracing all of the Pacific area. |
