THE NATION: The Painful Question

For 22 months, the United Nations has been pursuing peace at the truce table in Korea, while the fighting has gone on. With the Communist generals calling the combat turns, the U.N. was only fending off the enemy. Time after time, the prospect of a truce seemed bright, then faded as the casualty lists inexorably grew. This week there were signs once more that a Korean truce might be a reality in a matter of days.

But as the truce prospect brightened once again, the U.S. grew more conscious of a basic question...