Goodbye to Kaesong?
If the reports of a Communist armoured force in the demili- tarised area are true, the episode of the Kaesong armistice talks is over. It might have been possible, with good faith on the Communist side and less violent language on both sides, to begin talks once more after the recent string of accusations of violations of the demilitarised zone. But a real and authenticated—though accidental—attack by a United Nations aircraft on the neutral zone has shown just how difficult it is to maintain an oasis of quiet in the midst of a battlefield. The United Nations command must have taken exceptional precautions to avoid just such an inci- - dent as this. Yet it happened, and had to be apologised for. And with all the signs pointing to a large-scale Communist offensive, the main weight of which might well fall at the Western end of the front, the chances of avoiding further trouble around Kaesong are small. In fact it has become clear—in the light of the wisdom that follows the event—that it was a mistake in the first place for the United Nations commander to abandon his suggestion that the talks should be held in a hospital ship off the coast in favour of the Communist counter-proposal that they should be held at Kaesong. From the very first moment, when the United Nations emissaries were treated as if they had been defeated suppliants, this arrangement has led to nothing but trouble. The reason- ableness of General Ridgway's suggestion that the talks should be resumed in some more convenient place is plain.
