Department of State Press Release

16 DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOR THE PRESS APRIL 14, 1951 NO. 280 CAUTION FUTURE RELEASE NOTE DATE "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND LETTER SERVICE" FOR RELEASE AT 3:00 P.M., E.S.T., SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 1951. NOT TO BE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED, QUOTED FROM OR USED IN ANY WAY. REMARKS BY THE HONORABLE DEAN RUSK, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FAR EASTERN AFFAIRS, ON THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY TELEVISION SHOW, "BATTLE REPORT", SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 1951. Today I should like to talk for a few minutes about where we come out in Korea. How does the fighting end? Let's look first at the choices which are easy to think about. We could turn the fighting into a much bigger war by attacking those who are directly involved in the aggression in Korea. The action of Red China and the Soviet Union in Korea has been criminal and unconscionable. But we would not solve the Korean problem that way. We might be able to for- get it, but only because we would have far more serious things to worry about. Our purpose must be to defend our security and liberties without a world war if we can; but defend them we must. Perhaps you are one of those who say, "We don't want a general war; we only want to bomb Manchuria and attack China." But there are others in this struggle, who have great power available to them not yet committed to the ag- gression in Korea. They, too, can make decisions. It may be that your guess is that the Communists won't wage a general war at this time. Your guess might be right. But it might be wrong. Those who make the decision to extend hostilities beyond Korea would be completely irresponsible if they did not take into full account the element of general war, with all the destruction and loss of life. which would be involved, A second easy thing to think about is an immediate with- drawal from Korea. That, too, would lead to disaster. Korea is not the only object of the appetites and ambitions of Com- munist conspiracy. We could not solve anything by abandoning Korea. Who would be the next victim? And the next? And the next? Have we SO Sr on forgotten Adolph Hitler? Each bite was to be the last. Do you remember the trail which led from Manchuria and Ethiopia to Pearl Harbor? To abandon Korea would be to abandon the United States. Some are now saying, "Either extend the war or get out of Korea". They are asking us to choose which of two roads to disaster we should take. Our choice must be to take neither, if we can avoid it. At this point the job gets tough and complicated. What we are