Which Islands?

The Pescadores are a group of rocky, storm-swept, almost treeless islands lying in Formosa Strait, about 30 miles west of the Formosa coast. China got them back from Japan (along with Formosa) after World War II; the Nationalists hold them now. Of the 64 islands in the Pescadores, only 21 are inhabited; the total area is only about 50 square miles.

The U.S. Navy has a four-year-old standing order to defend the Pescadores as well as Formosa. This was emphasized last week by U.S. spokesmen, in answer to continued Chinese Communist threats to invade Formosa (TIME, Aug. 30). At his press conference Secretary Dulles mentioned the Pescadores in such away as to make clear that they are an integral part of the Formosa defense system. Dulles also mentioned--but did not name--other islands that might require defending as part of the defense of Formosa.

The question remained: Which Nationalist-held islands, other than Formosa and the Pescadores, would the U.S. defend? Washington did not say. It was assumed that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were deciding that right now; in order to keep the Reds guessing, they might not make their decisions public.

Last week the Peking bullyboys --according to their own account --carried off a small. Commando-type raid of Nationalist-held Quemoy, a 70-sq.-mi. bastion (not part of the Pescadores) that lies off the port city of Amoy, only four or five miles from the mainland. Quemoy bristles with Nationalist troops, is said to be heavily fortified with concrete pillboxes, artillery and interlocking fields of machine-gun fire. Peking claimed that a party of 40 Red raiders attacked a sleeping garrison on Quemoy. killed ten, captured one, withdrew. The occurrence of the raid was confirmed from Taipei, but it seemed a rather tiny exploit to be boasting about. Most likely the cautious Communists were trying to sound out the specific U.S. intentions in Formosa Strait.

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