There is considerable question, however, whether the enlarged application of force in Asia by itself can solve any problems for us there. For example, the Chinese Communist regime has been reported by most observers to be a good deal more efficient and effective in handling some of China's problems that its predecessor.
The successful campaign to stop inflation and the efforts to increase production are examples of greater governmental efficiency, even though combined with some of the Communist methods of deceiving people by lying propaganda and controlling them by fear of the police.
Supposing that we were eventually able by force to destroy the present power of the Chinese Communist regime, what would take its place? I doubt if anyone but Chiang Kai-shek believes that he could form a government to take over and administer again the four hundred millions of the Chinese sub-continent. The strength of the Chinese Communist regime, which is now being manifested against us, has not been built in a day but over a whole generation of activity in organizing the peasantry in the populous countryside.
It may bring China no happiness, even though the trains may run on time, but the fact remains that it has certain elements or strength and organization which have been acquired painstakingly and over a period of more than a decade. What would we put in its place? Where are the program and the personnel to take over?
No doubt, our best chance of finding them would be in Formosa, where many competent administrators and patriotic Chinese remain. But there is little sign that this island of seven million with the quarter of a million Nanking Government refugees can provide the personnal and leadership now to run China.
If we were to have a program of bombing, we would need an equally important program of recruiting and training the young people and the civil servants win could establish a regime and most the needs of the Chinese populace. The only alternative is chaos and the continued totalitarianism to which it conduces.
Thus, the advocates of force to suppress Communism in Asia, if they have their way, can no doubt destroy the Communist power holders in the various places. But they give us no indication of what would come afterward. Are we to take over and run Asia with American personnel? Can we find competent puppetal Do we seek a new colonialism? Or do we expect Western libertarian democracy to appear miraculously over night?
The fact is that Asia has a background of political despotism and this traditions lends itself to the modern totalitarian developments. Out best chance of getting stability in the Far East, in addition to a balance of power system, between China and Japan, lies in securing a situation in which revolutionary China is checked from being warlike aboard of toward as while left to work out her own destiny internally.
Best for Russia
It may be impossible for China to have any regime but a totalitarian one for some time to come, and we must assume that a purely totalitarian regime will be aggressive and militaristic toward us.
But this unhappy prospect does not seem to me to lead to the conclusion that an all-out what with China, now would serve out interests. On the contrary, set might provide the best opportunity for Russia to take Western Europe and put us in a forked stick.