Offer to Negotiate

The secretary of the biggest rubber planters' association in Malaya made out his name on the envelope, written in spidery English script. Inside, there was a long letter in Chinese characters. It had the look of Something important, and it was: after seven years of jungle war, the Malayan Communists were suing for peace.

Similar letters, postmarked from Siam, also reached Malay and Chinese political leaders, asking for a "round table conference" in the jungle. Said Lieut. General Sir Geoffrey Bourne, director of the Operations Committee, last week: "This is the first really noticeable crack in the Malayan Communist Party." To the 35,000 police and 172,000 home guards, it seemed a vindication of long and dangerous duty. In the last four years they have reduced the number of terrorist incidents from a monthly total of 606 to 66, the number of terrorists at large from 6,000 to 4,000.

But like all Communist peace proposals, this one was a thicket of tricks. The Communists had timed their offer to Malaya's first general elections next month, to appeal to weariness of a war which has cost nearly 10,000 lives. But the British were determined not to allow the Communists a jungle Panmunjom which would give them recognition and time to recover their strength.

"Knowing the true purpose of the Communist offer and the motives which underlie it," said the Operations Committee firmly, "the Government rejects it absolutely, and has no intention of negotiating with the Communist terrorists."

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