Copy of New York Times Newspaper Article, "Text of General MacArthur's Korea Statement"

TEXT OF GENERAL MacARTHUR'S KOREA STATEMENT RECORDE (N.Y. TIMES, 25 MARCH 1951) Tokyo: Operations continue according to schedule and plan. We have now substantially cleared South Korea of organized Communist forces. It is becoming increasingly evident that the heavy destruction along the enemy's lines of supply, caused by our !round-the-clock massive air and naval bombardment, has left his troops in the forward battle area deficient in requirements to sustain his operations. This weakness is being brilliantly exploited by our ground forces. The enemy's human wave tactics definitely failed him as our own forces become seasoned to this form of warfare; his tactics of in- filtration are but contributing to his piecemeal losses, and he is showing less stamina than our own troops under rigors of climate, terrain and battle. Of even greater significance than our tactical success has been the clear revelation that this new enemy, Red China, of such ex- aggerated and vaunted military power, lacks the industriál capacity to provide adequately many critical items essential to the conduct of modern war. He lacks manufacturing bases and those raw materials needed to produce, maintain and operate even moderate air and naval power, and he cannot provide the essentials for successful ground operations, such as tanks, heavy artillery and other refinements science has intro- duced into the conduct of military campaigns. Formerly his great numerical potential might well have filled this gap, but with the development of existing methods of mass destruc- tion, numbers alone do not offset vulnerability inherent in such deficiencies. Control of the sea and air, which in turn means control over supplies, communications and transportation, are no less essential and decisive now than in the past. When this control exists as in our case and is coupled with the inferiority of ground firepower, as in the enemy's case, the re- sulting disparity is such that it cannot be overcome by bravery, how- ever fanatical, or the most gross indifference to human loss. These military weaknesses have been clearly and definitely revealed since Red China entered upon its undeclared war in Korea. Even under inhibitions which now restrict activity of the United Nations forces and the corresponding military advantages which accrue to Red China, it has been shown its complete inability to accomplish by force of arms the conquest of Korea. The enemy therefore must by now be painfully aware that a decision of the United Nations to depart from its tolerant effort to contain the war to the area of Korea through expansion of our military operations to his coastal areas and interior bases would doom Red China to the risk of imminent military collapse. These basic facts being established, there should be no insu- perable difficulty arriving at decisions on the Korean problem if the issues are resolved on their own merits without being burdened by extraneous matters not directly related to Korea, such as Formosa and China's seat in the United Nations. The Korean nation and people which have been so cruelly rav- aged must not be sacrificed. That is the paramount concern. Apart from the military area of the problem where the issues are resolved in the course of combat, the fundamental questions continue to be political in nature and must find their answer in the diplomatic sphere.