Larger Battlefields

In Korea the backbone of Communist resistance was broken, but on the larger battlefield of Asia, the week brought defeat as well as victory for the free world. The French position in northern Indo-China was made exceedingly precarious by a brilliant campaign of Ho Chi Minh's troops, recently trained and equipped by the Chinese Reds (see below).

Ho's victories may set the French back months or years in their not-too-energetic efforts to clean out Ho's rebellion. If Ho could follow up his success and seize the rich Red River delta, the whole French position in Indo-China would be imperiled.

On a still larger battlefield--the world --Ho's victory had a grim meaning. The bulk of France's army was already in Indo-China; more troops would have to be sent there to deal with the new threat. France was a vital link in European rearmament and France could not make its essential contribution to the defense of Europe as long as its army was tied up in Indo-China. A quick victory over Communism in Indo-China was necessary if Europe was to be made defensible by 1952.

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