FOREIGN POLICY AND A MIXED BAG OF SPORT

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26204, 30 August 1950, Page 6

FOREIGN POLICY AND A MIXED BAG OF SPORT

LONDON LETTER

rgy NEVILLE WEBBER. London Correspondent of “The Preu")

London, August 18.-It tot* a single correspondent to say just what public opinion is onthe asnects of the war th Korea. The sub ject is complicated and the channels of expression are diverse. I can only report that among the many people I meet and in the niany reports I read there is increasing uneasiness at the progress of events in Korea and in United States policy towards Asia in ge Mo r re L and more frequently I hear the questions posed. What is our fundamental policy in Korea. When United Nations forces fight . back, where are they to stop? What are our post-war plans? Is not General MacArthur too cock-sure, too exuberant m his policy and in his optimistic commass bombing of towns in Korea justified? Is it of real military significance? Is it not embittering the population and having a profoundly disturbing effect on Asian, and even European opinion? Is not liberation, if it must mean mass destruction of homes and towns, a very doubtful deliverance? And here I have heard quoted and requoted the observations of the military correspondent of ‘‘The Times” who said on Tuesday: , t The bombing of friendly territory is likely td have unpleasant repercussions if foreign observers conclude that it is excessive .... the moral factor, immensely important, can be forgotten at great risk.” . t , The questions of our policy towards Formosa and of the possibility of our being embroiled (because of our close alliance with the United States) in a struggle with the vast hordes of Communist China give cause for even greater uneasiness. Do we fully realise the strength of Communism in its absence of colour bar and in its policy of redistributing land to the peasants of Asia? Are we not too much on the defensive and too little on the attack in the battle of ideas of Communism v. Democracy? I can only report this uneasiness, an uneasiness which is being increasingly reflected in such responsible organs of opinion as “The Times,” the “Manchester Guardian’’ the “Observer,’’ and the “New Statesman and Nation.” In the “Daily Worker,” of course, all these questions are arrogantly answered in perfect harmony with the harsh notes of the Kremlin. Waiting for News

Momentous and disturbing as has been the «ews from the Far East and Europe this week, the limelight in Britain has been on the human interest story of the Royal birth. The popular newspapers have revelled in the suspense with hundreds of articles ranging from the upbringing of Prince Charles to the professional qualifications of the doctors. Outside quiet Clarence House thousands of curious people, many of them visitors from abroad, milled up and down, though there was little to see apart from the

impassive Guardsman on sentry duty Scores slept in nearby St. James’ Park. Why did they wait? Inquiries produced two main reasons—to be able to say one was there, and to see the crowd. Now the national guessing game is what names the Princess will be given. Most popular forecasts are for Victoria and Adelaide. These Mad English! Another drama—a slow, irritating one for the first three days—was the final test match at the Oval which even the harassed Mr Attlee and the Duke of Edinburgh found time to attend. The antics of the exuberant and colourful West Indian supporters as they sang their calypsos and cheered and raced about the sacred turf to clasp their heroes will long be remembered by fhose who were there Now that all the congratulations have been passed, English cricketers are m sitting back and taking stock. De- * spondent as most of them are, there is little support for the suggestion that English cricket has reached such a low ebb that the Australian tour should be cancelled, for it is argued that the British team was never at full strength and was dogged bv bad luck. Incidentally, a top request record on the 8.8. C. ju&t now is th® West Indian victory calypso sung after the second test. Ah, these mad English' Two Successes Although soundly beaten at cricket, British athletic enthusiasts are jubilant over the success of their team in the triangular British-American-Benelux tournament at the Whit® City and in the victory of Reg. Harris in the world professional sprint cycling championship for the second consecutive year. The American team, of course, was not a really representative one, but the home athletes gave an outstanding exhibition. Such was the interest that ticket touts ap-pe^-ed—unheard of at athletic meetings these days. Serious Guesswork Again Although the sun is still hot (when it shines) and the summer holiday season is at its peak, football is back. We are all well aware of this because of the number of keen youngsters in the parks kicking Soccer balls about, the pundits blazing into print with their forecasts of form, and not least because of the activities of the pools. Millions of those little buff envelopes with their maze of numbers and crosses are being slipped through letter boxes again, and everyone from schoolboys to grandmothers is getting down to serious guesswork. It is estimated, the pool firms have about 12,000.000 clients and receive £1,000,000 a week in investments, of Which Sir Stafford Cripps takes £18,000,000 in the year. However, receipts are expected to decline this year, for at the end of last season it was estimated that the average amount staked on each coupon had dropped from 3s 6d to 2s 6d. Money is getting tighter.