MILITARY SITUATION IN THE FAR EAST THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1951 COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES AND THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, UNITED STATES SENATE, The committees met, pursuant to adjournment, at 10:30 a. m. in the caucus room, Senate Office Building, Senator Richard B. Russell (chairman, Committee on Armed Services) presiding. Present: Senators Russell, Connally (chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations), George, Green, McMahon, Fulbright, Sparkman, Gillette, Wiley, Smith (New Jersey), Hickenlooper, Lodge, Toby, Byrd. Johnson (Texas), Kefauver, Stennis, Long, Bridges, Saltonstall. Morse, Knowland, Cain, and Flanders. Also present: Mark H. Galusha and Verne D. Mudge, of the staff of the Committee on Armed Services; Francis O. Wilcox, chief of Staff: Thorsten V. Kalijarvi, staff associate, Committee on Foreign Relations; C. C. O'Day, clerk; and Pat M. Holt, associate clerk. (Subheadings within the text have been inserted by committee staff in order to make hearings more readable and easier to follow.) The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen of the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations, today we are opening hearings on momentous questions. These questions affect not only the lives of every citizen, but they are vital to the security of our country and the maintenance of our institutions of free Government. We shall attempt to obtain the facts which are necessary to permit the Congress to discharge its proper functions and make correct decisions on the problem of war and peace in the Far East and indeed. throughout the world. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur has consented to be the first witness at these hearings. I am sure it is unnecessary for me to attempt to recount in detail the deeds and services which have endeared General MacArthur to the American people. On the permanent pages of our history are inscribed his achievements as one of the great captains of history through three armed conflicts; but he is not only a great military leader, his broad understanding and knowledge of the science of politics has enabled him to restore and stabilize a conquered country and to win for himself and for his country the respect and affection of a people who were once our bitterest enemies. The general is here today to counsel with our committees and to help us in the fulfillment of our legislative responsibilities. 1 SPIRIT OF THE HEARINGS In his address to the Congress on April 19 the general said: I do not stand here as an advocate for any partisan cause, for the issues are fundamental and reach quite beyond the realm of partisan consideration. They must be resolved on the highest plane of national interest if our course is to prove sound and our future protected. I wholeheartedly associate myself with that sentiment. I hope these hearings may be conducted from beginning to end in that spirit. If they are not conducted with the single purpose of serving the national interest in this hour of crisis, we will fail those who have given us their confidence and depend upon us for leadership and guidance. The guiding light here today, and in the days to follow, must be the national interest, for the national interest transcends, in importance, the fortunes of any individual, or group of individuals. If we are to exercise one of the highest legislative functions, we must see that the American people are brought the truth, and the whole truth, without the color of prejudice or partisanship, and with no thought as to personalities. If we do less, we will thwart the proper working of the processes upon which the success of our form of government depends. MILITARY SECURITY ASPECTS OF HEARINGS General MacArthur, I am sure you are aware of the controversy as to whether or not these hearings should be in open, or executive session. Those of us who have supported the executive sessions are anxious to see that the facts reach the American people as rapidly as they are developed. We have, however, been apprehensive lest, in the heat of controversy, questions of some committee members, or an unguarded statement of some unskilled witness might endanger the lives of our fighting men, or endanger the national security. Your vast experience makes you one of the best qualified men in this country, on the question of what might effect the safety of our soldiers, and the security of our Nation. It is my desire that the transcripts of these hearings should be full and complete, except for material which would be helpful to our enemies. You can render a great service to the members of this committee, and to the American people, if you would indicate, as the hearings proceed, any material which, in your judgment, might have a damaging effect. I do not like to be put in the position of constantly admonishing, some Senators might call it lecturing, Members of the Senate, on the importance of taking extreme care to maintain all reasonable security precautions. I think we all know how difficult that problem is, and how skillful many outsiders, particularly gentlemen of the fourth estate, are in piecing together a series of separate and apparently unrelated comments that they get from different Members of Congress, into stories that could be very damaging. Of course, as chairman of this committee, I feel a particular responsibility in respect to classified information. I am perfectly willing to bear my full share of that responsibility; but I hope that all of the Members of the Senate will cooperate to the tmost in discharging their responsibility and obligation, which is qually mine. Now, General MacArthur, I do not know whether or not you have a prepared statement. The Senators present would appreciate any remarks you may care to offer as a basis for opening these hearings. Keep your seat, General, if you choose, if you find it more comfortable. General MACARTHUR. Thank you. I associate myself Senator MORSE. Mr. Chairman, are you going to swear the witness? The CHAIRMAN. Thank you for reminding me of that. General MacArthur, the committee took the extraordinary action, A view of the fact that we did not know what the scope of these hearings would be, and the large number of witnesses that might be brought in, of directing me as chairman to administer the oath to all of the witnesses who might appear. The evidence which you are about to present the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations bearing upon the matters under inquiry shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. (General MacArthur and General Whitney nodded affirmatively.) The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, General. TESTIMONY OF GENERAL OF THE ARMY DOUGLAS MacARTHUR, ACCOMPANIED BY MAJ. GEN. COURTNEY WHITNEY General MACARTHUR. I would associate myself entirely, Senator, with your preliminary remarks. I have no prepared statement. My comments were made fully when I was so signally honored by the Congress in inviting me to appear before them. I appear today not as a voluntary witness at all, but in response to the request of the committee, and I am entirely in the hands of the committee. EFFECTIVENESS OF INTEGRATION OF ARMED SERVICES The CHAIRMAN. General, I shall ask a few questions, then, bearing upon particularly the matters within the purview of the Committee on Armed Services. This is the first opportunity that the committee has had to have with us a commanding officer from the field who has been in close day-to-day contact with operations in Korea. You, of course, are aware of the long efforts that have been made in the Congress to coordinate the activities of the several branches of the service, to eliminate duplication, and to weld them into an effective Eghting machine. I should like to ask you if, as a result of your experiences in Korea during this struggle, you feel that we have accomplished the complete integration as a fighting machine of the various services. General MACARTHUR. I can only speak for what has occurred within what was my theater of responsibility, Senator. You would know more about the integration here or in continental America probably than I would, but in the Far East the integration of the three fighting services has been as complete as I could possibly imagine. They have worked as a team. The responsiveness of each service to the desires and wishes of the other has been almost perfection. The integration there has been much more than the integration of the three services. It has been the integration of the forces of a number of nations, all of which had various components there. I would rate it as 100 percent, and the only reason I do not rate it higher is because I believe the mathematicians say 100 percent is all there is. The CHAIRMAN. That includes the cooperation between the air in support of ground forces as well as all of the other phases of activity, tactical activity? General MACARTHUR. Yes, sir. What I am referring to is the coordination. I am not referring to the efficiencies; I am referring to basic amalgamation of the services and their efforts in support of each other. QUALITY OF SOUTH KOREAN SOLDIERS The CHAIRMAN. General, we have received conflicting reports as to the battle efficiency of the South Korean forces. Some of the fragmentary reports we have received and some of the reports we have received from those in the lower echelons has been that they are very fine soldiers, and others that have been there have spoken of them somewhat disparagingly. The committee would like to have your viewpoint on the South Korean soldiers. General MACARTHUR. In courage and in determination, and in resolution, they are very fine troops. They lack the background of long tradition. They lack an officer corps, which takes years to build up. They lack in the efficacy of long periods of training. The lack in certain instances of matériel and other deficiencies is apparent. But within the physical limitations that exist, I regard them as very fine, indeed. Their casualties, compared with the forces that were committed, reflect an indomitable spirit for victory. They are lightly armed and are at their best in what you might call the reconnaissance and exploitive features of campaigns. They do not have the depth of matériel to resist, as well as some other of our forces there, the attack of well-equipped, experienced modern armies. In certain of their efforts, such as the exploitive pursuit they are unequaled. They can go further on less than any troops I have ever commanded. As all troops have, they have many excellent points and they have some weak points. The CHAIRMAN. You refer to their General MACARTHUR. The difference in reporting is perfectly natural. You will find that that exists on all battlefields in all areas. The instances that fall under one man's observation may be good; another group may be bad. The sum total of the Korean, as I say, within his limitations, is high. The CHAIRMAN. You refer to their lack of matériel. We are supplying them. Is that because we do not have the supplies for them or because they are not capable of using larger quantities of matériel and equipment? General MACARTHUR. The supplies that were available to me were not entirely adequate to arm them in the same ratio as our own troops. In supplying heavy weapons, such as artillery, tanks, and things of that sort, it takes a high degree of training, it takes time. They have a great pool of manpower but it is untrained. To train it takes considerable time, and the supplies to equip them on the same basis as our troops have not been available. INTEGRATION OF UNITED NATIONS FORCES IN KOREA The CHAIRMAN. You referred, General, to what had been accomplished in handling troops of different nations, of various tongues. Do you think that the experience we have had there might stand us in good stead in the event of an all-out war where we would undertake to have armies that would be composed of soldiers from many nations? Has it been on a large enough scale to assist us and other members of the United Nations-have they transported enough troops there to where that experience would really be of any benefit to us in the case of an all-out war between communism and the free world? General MACARTHUR. I would doubt it very much, Senator. The forces of all of the nations except the South Koreans and ours are token forces at best. The CHAIRMAN. Were any difficulties encountered in integrating the efforts of those token forces? General MACARTHUR. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Do you have American officers who could speak Turkish, for example, to serve as liaison with the Turkish commanding officer? General MACARTHUR. We managed to make ourselves reciprocally understood. The CHAIRMAN. The reason I asked the question-I have been concerned about our training of our commissioned personnel, particularly, in the different languages to enable us to have a coordinated force in the event, which God forbid is necessary, to assemble one to resist communism. General MACARTHUR. I will say that the Turkish Brigade is one of the finest I have ever been associated with. The CHAIRMAN. Elite troops, I suppose, and picked for that purpose, were they not, General? General MACARTHUR. I could not tell you that, Senator. CHINESE COMMUNIST AIR STRENGTH The CHAIRMAN. What was the estimate of the Chinese air strength at the time you left the theater, the best estimate that our intelligence. had been able to gather of the strength of air that was available by Chinese Communists or others? We read from time to time where there are brushes between our jet planes and enemy planes of some character and description. Do you have any estimate you could give us as to the total strength of that Chinese Air Force? General MACARTHUR. The estimates varied. They varied as low as 300 planes and as high as 800 planes. I saw one estimate that went up to above a thousand. The actual strength is conjectural. The CHAIRMAN. Have they yet attacked our Ground Forces in Korea, the Chinese? |