 It's time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A presentation of the Lawn Jean Wittner Watch Company, maker of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. Good evening. This is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope? From the CBS television news staff, Larry Lassur and Lou Choffee, our distinguished guest for this evening is General James A. Van Fleet. First time I ever saw you, General, I guess was crossing the English Channel ten years ago. Yes, Larry, those were great days. I wouldn't be mind telling us, General, just what happened to you after you landed in Normandy, and then when you left the 8th Infantry Division. Well, Larry, after the fall of Cherbourg, I moved on to the 2nd Division, stayed with that for three months, then took command of the, in turn, the 4th Division and the 90th Division. Two great divisions. Following that, I became a core commander and finally wound up in Southeast Germany under General Patton. Well, we've had a lot of promotions. General, I'm still a correspondent. Well, then when did you go to Greece, sir? Well, after I came home, then I was ordered to Greece to be the military advisor to the Greek government. And after that? Well, came home again and then back to Korea. Well, General, this is like an old family reunion because you and I met in Korea. Yes, I remember a little. General, there's one question I wanted to ask you. Did you ever think while you were over there as an 8th Army commander that there was a possibility we could have won the war? Well, of course, Lou, I said that many times and I still believe it. Well, how do you think it could have been done? Well, by defeating the Chinese Red Army inside of Korea. The objective there was the Red Army, not terrain or the Yalu River, but a humiliating defeat of the Red Army well south into Korea. Well, how exactly could that have been accomplished, General Van Fleet? Well, many ways. By just killing the great many of them. Well, I wonder if you care to just tell us a few of those tactics which you might have considered at that time. Well, many ways, of course. You could execute some end runs, land ins. You could draw them south. You could cause them to attack you. And then with counter-attack, mainly with fire, destroy great numbers of them. Did you notice any particular rigidity in the methods that the Chinese communists used in fighting? Yes, they didn't like to lose a position. They would lose face and their commanders above them would demand that the hill be retaken. And in the retaken, they'd lose great numbers. So if you just kept taking hills away from them, they could keep them coming into you, you think? There's a battle for about three or four weeks and after that it's a fluid situation. What about the individual coming to soldier? Well, he's a good soldier. Don't sell the Asiatic short. He's a great soldier. Well, General, what was your opinion of our greatest lesson in Korea? What did we learn most from the three years of war there? Well, I think we learned that the Asiatic is a good soldier, especially the Korean and the Chinese. And the development of a native army like the Korean army. So it was one of our greatest accomplishments in Korea. Well, do you think you learned anything in Korea that you hadn't exactly learned fully in Greece? Yes, we learned a great deal. And that you can form an army out of illiterate Asiatics? Oh, yes, he's a superb individual. He has everything that he takes to make a good soldier. He has stamina. He's unspoiled. He'll do exactly as he's told. He's intelligent. He learns fast. He's brave. He obeys. He'll go forward and die. You can't ask more of any man in battle. Would that be a good description of the rock army as it stands today? That is, yes. Well, General, in the current issue of Reader's Digest, you say that the free world is losing the war in Indochina right now. Now, from the background of your experiences, is there anything we could do to secure this vitally strategic area? Well, Larry, of course, that's the article I have in the Reader's Digest for February. Yes. I say that we should support worthy allies. And a worthy ally is one which will fight for its freedom. We found the Korean would do that under Sigmund Re. And I believe we can develop worthy allies elsewhere in the world. How do you suppose we could get the Indochinese and make them into worthy allies? I mean, are they fighting for Indochina or not? Well, of course, we need a Sigmund Re in Indochina. We have a Sigmund Re in the person of Chiang Kai-shek in Hamosa. Now, I'd like to ask you about Chiang Kai-shek. We've just shipped these 21,000 reluctant prisoners of war, the taps that wouldn't go back to communism. Now, do you think that this army we're supporting in Hamosa now under Chiang Kai-shek is a drain on the American taxpayer? Or do you think it serves some valuable purpose, General? Oh, they're worth their weight in American boys. They cost very little. We get 21 divisions for a very small price. For the price of one American division. Do you think there will ever be a purpose for those people there or just to divert a communist army away from other areas? They have a tremendous pressure on the mainland of China. Yes. Right now. And the day may come when we'd like to have a ready army to take advantage of some opportunity. Have you seen Chiang Kai-shek's army? Do you know how good it is? I was fortunate to see a good part of that army last summer. Yes. A splendid army. A very high morale. A dedicated army. Good for many years. Veterans. I'd like to ask you a personal question, sir. I was just looking over my files today and I noted that on April 2nd, 1952, your son was reported missing in action. And now that the prisoner question has been solved, we think, have you heard anything about him? No, Larry. Unfortunately, we had no information that we could rely on. Many rumors, but not substantiated. Well, about those prisoners, General, to get off that subject for a second. These 21 boys who refused to come back and have now gone back beyond the bamboo curtain. What do you think we should do about them, if anything? Well, Lou, they're to be pitted. They're unfortunate. I think the best thing is just to forget them, write them off as lost boys. Perhaps many of them were communists or inclined before they went into the army. And others of them, no doubt, were cowards on the battlefield. Maybe they can't come back because of that record. Let's forget them. General, in your recent trip around the world, you inspected some highly strategic areas and highly vital ones, too. Everybody knows that Russia covets the oil of Iran. Do you think there's anything we could do to make Iran into a defensible region? Oh, yes. Unfortunately, the whole Middle East is a void. They need our help to build up their defense forces so that the country will have confidence in staying free. They will fight. They don't ask for a single American boy. But they do ask for tools and training under American supervision. Well, how about Turkey? The same for Turkey. Of course, we've had a mission there and some help for some time. Well, General, did you drop in on your old stamping grounds in Greece on this trip around the world? Yes. I'm very happy to go back there and see a wonderful Greek army still highly trained, tested in battle, and as fit today as when I left it in 1950. What do you think, sir, is the formula for creating a spirit such as that? Larry, that's what I'll point out in my article in Reader's Eye Jest. First of all is the spirit of the country to fight for its freedom. And I call that a worthy ally. If they will fight for their freedom, let's help them. And we will not have to send any American boys to that part of the world. What makes a country want to fight for its freedom, General? Love of liberty, family circle, pride of race, pride of nation, pride of themselves, maybe their religion, righteousness. And confidence, I suppose, in their men and arms, you think it takes hard training to give them that confidence, too? Not too much training. They learn fast. They work hard. But they do need the guns. They need the guns and not too many expensive weapons, either. How could we... General, a very austere but adequate basis. How could we prevent a country in which we have armed and which is a worthy ally from conducting our foreign policy perhaps and going to war when we didn't want them to go to war and drawing us into a battle which we didn't want to go into? Well, I think that's a kind of a leader we want in those countries that will show determination to fight for their freedom, make effective use of the aid we give them. But, of course, to be allied with us and not do anything rash to bring on an act of war of their own volition, not be the aggressor, but to fight back strongly if they are attacked. General, there seems to be a new defense policy abroad in this land, one which lays emphasis on air power and what is called instantaneous or instant retaliation rather than local ground defense. Now, does this fit in with your own concept as one of our great ground warfare generals? Yes, it does. Of course, we are preparing for the World War III or atomic war, which we hope will never come. But during that time, we must do something to win the Cold War, the war that is actually being waged and which we have been losing for many years. That's the war that we must prepare more for. And that war must be won by native armies already on the spot. Well, one question about back to Korea again, General. Do you think Sigmund Rhee will precipitate another war? Do you think he'll disobey the UN and start the war? No, certainly not. Sigmund Rhee has cooperated with us fully up to now. I believe he will continue to be our finest ally. General, as a final question, may I ask you, what role do you think our own United States should play in what seems to be a permanent struggle with world communism? Well, first, I would say to train and arm worthy allies. Second, to give them the ammunition they will then need in case they are attacked. And third, to keep America strong for the greatest strike of all, to counter-offensive with atomic weapons. Well, do you actually think we should have any soldiers overseas? None at all. No American ground soldiers at all overseas except in a few other protected bases, naval and air bases. And you think, therefore, by training and giving these people something to fight for, that they will become the allies which would make it unnecessary for us to risk our men in these places? We can bring our ground armies home rapidly as soon as we replace them with native armies. Well, thank you very much, General. It's always a pleasure to talk to you. Nice to have you here tonight. The opinions you've heard our speakers express tonight have been entirely their own. The editorial board for this edition of the Laun Jean Chronoscope was Larry LeSerre and Lou Choffé. Our distinguished guest was General James A. Van Fleet. To watchmakers of the old school such as Laun Jean, pride of workmanship is evident in every detail of every operation. In a watch in truth, the smallest cog is just as important as the biggest wheel. Pride of workmanship made Laun Jean the world's most honored watch, honored at world fairs by 10 grand prices and 28 gold medals, honored by government observatories with countless prizes and citations for accuracy, honored as official watch by sports and contest associations the world over. Now, for all who have an appreciation of the fine and the beautiful, the pride of workmanship so evident in every Laun Jean watch makes an irresistible appeal. Our particular message at this time is an important one. If you wish to buy and own or proudly give just about the finest watch made anywhere in all the world, your choice might well be Laun Jean, the world's most honored watch, priced as low as 70-150. 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