NO PEACE AT ALL . •

By Sir Desmond Morton
FROM THE DANUME TO THE YALU, by General Mark Clark (Harrap & Co., 21s.).
PEACE is a state greatly to be desired, but only if it he genuine and only if it be just. This book is General Mark Clark's frank acCount of his efforts to negotiate an armistice with the Communists in Korea.
The General is well known for saying boldly what he thinks. This foible—all too rare among those in high positions today—is not diminished by his retirement from military service.
As a result, his hook is called controversial, though in so far as it deals with the mentality. procedure and morals of Communists. the only controversy that can arise must lie between those on tlie one hand la ho know what Communism really is, and oppose it, and those on the other hand who either support Communism or are afraid of !canting about it in fact, a controversy between those Who seek peace with justice and those who either seek peace only on their own terms or who seek peace at any price. Between these two last categories there is an unnatural, unholY
To Korea
BEINCi appointed to Korea only in May, 1952. General Clark hardly deals with the lighting there in that first war fought by a number of allies together tinder a common flag, save to comment in retrospect on the conflicting interests of minter) strategs and political ends. '
Although the political objective of
the United Nations may be said to have been achieved, it remains questionable whether that objective was politically or militarily sound; while it was the United Nations who, from political rather than military reasons, sought an armistice.
The Communists, i.e., Moscow and the Chinese Government—the North Korean Government hardly counting for practical purposes were reatt to end the lighting war on terms. hut did not want a peace that was either just or genuine.
ihe price of peace
-I his common form among Comm un kts should already have been apparent to the Western Governments as a result of dealing with mosetm in (iermany and Austria, %ben oscow was ostensibly an
As the Cieneral sapiently observes. "a Communist any where is just the same as any other Communist." Already realising this, he knew, to quote him again, that he Was dealing with men whose sole objective and function was "to advance step by step towards the day when. through fear, through exhaustion. through quarrels among the Allies, or through war itself, the free world would fail and the Communists would inherit the earth."
IE only those who desire peace at any price would read the first two chapters of this book, they may begin to learn; and if they read the Whole they might begin to understand why Communism is the enemy of all freedom and decency . and why it will nevertheless go on winning until those who wish to be free realise that peace at any price is no peace at all.