THE NATION: The Bell

"Everything seems to be in fine shape," said Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Felix Stump. "When the bell rings, we will be ready to go." This week the bell rang for the Chinese Nationalists to evacuate the Tachen Islands with the help of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

Before the bell, there was an anxious wait for 1) the payoff on a major U.S. gamble that Red China would turn down the U.N. invitation to discuss ceasefire, and 2) agreement between the U.S. and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek on defense of the offshore islands.

Predicted Bellicosity....

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