NEWS OF THE WEEK
Asthe crisis of the Korean fighting draws nearer it becomes more difficult for the public at large to turn its attention from the Pusan pocket to the larger diplomatic aspects of the situation. At the same time it is evident that Mr. Malik's main purpose at Lake Success is to ensure that any attempt to reach a peaceful and stable solution, either in the short run or in the long run, is immediately bogged down in confusion, irrelevance, and empty procedural argument. Thus events and Russian policy conspire to keep the mind of the non-Communist world off its proper business. Whatever can be done in the Korean battle in the immediate future must be done by the troops, the aircraft and the warships already on the spot The American military effort is at full stretch and is at last beginning to achieve local successes. The Governments of the other United Nations countries are one by one putting their supporting plans into effect. At the same time all that can be done—and it is very little—to minimise the effect of Mr. Malik's obstruction at Lake Success is being done. But at the same time the eyes of Govern- ments, and of all enlightened citizens, should be on the next move. The cost of diplomatic unpreparedness could be even heavier in the future than the cost of military unpreparedness has already been. The lack of co-ordination between, for example, American and British policy, on the future of Formosa and on the recognition of the Peking Government has always been dangerous. But these issues are not yet settled, and it is time they were. We cannot afford to differ about them. The seating of a Chinese Communist on the Security Council certainly cannot be treated as a condition prior to a cease-fire. But so far it has been possible to regard it as a question to be settled independently and as soon as possible. If it is to be ruled out altogether, then the fact had better be made plain at once. And for the sake of peace and realism it would be best to keep it open.
