MOUNTS IN KOREA
In an article date-lined from Seoul and published in the February 1 issue of The Japan Times, Richard Halloran reports that tension is mounting in Korea.
"The intensified war in Vietnam has caused a distinct tensing of mind and muscle here in Korea, the northern anchor of the Western -Pacific defense line that runs from here through Okinawa and Taiwan to Southeast Asia." a
The military, in particular, he states are becoming nervous about incidents to which little attention would have been paid “before Johnson escalated the conflict in Vietnam.
"If the war in Vietnam expands, the state. of alert here will increase. Both Americans and Koreans think of their situation as an integral part of one struggle between the Communists and non-Communists in Asia."
According to the American military sources from which Halloran obtained his information a "Sharp rise" occurred in the number of “infiltrators from North Korea last fail.".
"Military sources here say they noticed an upgrading in. quality and aggressiveness of agents trying to come across the 4,000-meter wide demilitarized zone that separates the opposing armies. They say Communist infiltrators are better-trained, armed, and equipped, and are carrying radio receivers and transmitters.
"Instead of mélting away when accosted by an American or - Korean patrol, the egents more often will try to fight their way through. Stopping. ‘these infiltrators has become the main job of forces here."
What the American occupation sorces are afraid of is the
opening of a guerrilla war in south Korea, it would seem. Says Halloran:
"Should the war in Vietnam spread into a general war in ‘sia,
Korea would most likely be the second front to be hit. American military officials do not expect a resumption of the same sort of.) war that was fought from 1950 to 19543. Instead they expect to see guerrilla and terrorist action behind the lines."
Another possible, and even more likely, explanation | is that the widespread dissatisfaction with the puppet government set up by Washington may be again taking an active form. The heroic example of the freedom fighters in south Vietnam and their considerable successes despite the vastly superior military forces pitted against them may have inspired the beginnings of a guerrilla movement in south Korea. The U.S. occupation forces would naturally ascribe this to "agitators" and "infiltrators" from the North. But it is well known that guerrilla forces cannot possibly survive unless they have the active support of the population in which they operate.
IS WALL STREET MARXIST?
(The following is a translation of a column by the rather cynical Robert Escarpit which appeared in the February 10 Paris daily Le Monde. The original title is "Wall