Broken Silence

In Geneva last week Chinese Reds who are negotiating with the U.S. broke five months of mutually agreed silence to complain that U.S. insistence on a Communist renunciation of force over Formosa is stymying any hope of settlement. From Hong Kong, TIME Senior Editor John Osborne cabled his evaluation:

"The Communist military position is very different today from what it was in 1954. Then all authorities out here judged that the Reds were nowhere near capable of serious attack on Formosa or any part of the island complex. Now Communists have or very soon will have facilities, principally air bases and port establishments, from which they could mount a considerable attack. Their overall internal position and expressed attitude continue to suggest that they intend no such attack and would go to any conceivable length to avoid entanglement with the U.S. at this crucial point in their 'socialist transformation' of China itself.

"But a limited demonstration on the order of their seizure of Yikiang off the Tachens in January 1955 is possible--even probable. Logical place for it would be a small island group known colloquially as the 'White Dogs' eleven miles southeast of the Matsus. They are hardly worth expensive defense. Yet their fall would imperil the Matsus, and if accompanied by passive U.S. acquiescence, would severely shake our Formosa position.

"The Communists have hinted repeatedly that if they fail to get what they want by negotiation and political pressure, they could always stoke up U.S. and allied fears of war with some show of force." [As if on cue, the Reds unleashed a 3,000-shell, one-day bombardment of Quemoy, the heaviest barrage in 16 months.]

"Many recent statements indicate that the Communists are more determined than ever to acquire Formosa and liquidate its Nationalist government. One means to this end is the Chou-Dulles conference which they seek and which they believe that we, under certain circumstances, would be willing to grant them."

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