THE NATION: I'll Tell You Why

The peaceful look of U.S. cities, the countryside and the beaches contrasted oddly with the ferocity of battle in Korea.

The quickening of U.S. mobilization—a gradual process, partly concealed by security rules—could hardly be seen last week in the August sun. But the quiet was deceptive: Americans cocked an anxious ear to the sounds of the battle along the Naktong. In such a week, an urbane Briton had something to say about the U.S. attitude.

Of Russia's yakking Jacob Malik (see cover), Britain's Sir Gladwyn Jebb demanded scornfully: "Are we really to believe that the boys from Iowa or Colorado who...