AUSTRALIAN WHO GOT UNDER MACARTHUR'S SKIN

Chronicle (Levin), 26 August 1947, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN WHO GOT UNDER MACARTHUR'S SKIN

Received Monday, 7 p.m. LONDON, August 25. Diseussing the Canberra eonferenee and the resignation of Mr. Macmahon Ball from the Allied Council, for Japan, The Economist says: "General MacArtkur had never asked for these advisers as he thought he was getting along quite nicelv without them. He was, however, prepared to tolerate them provided they didn't spealt till they were spoken to and then not for long. The Soviet representatiVe showed liimself unwilling to play the hunvble role the Supreme Commander assigned tc him but in Ameriea it was by then wel! known that Russia was out to make trouble and General MacArthur's repu tation on the whole gained rather than suffered from his sniping. It was otherwise, however, with what the general himself plaintively called the 'pinpricking' tactics of Mr. Ball. He couldn't be disttiissed as a Bolshevik and his uiikind analyses of reassuring reports sent in from Allied headquar ters were deemed both impertinent and uifgrateful, eoming from a small nation which General MacArthur considered himself to Jiave saved from destruction during the period of his en'forced absenee from the Philippines. The pricks went on getting worse until the Australian delegate brought matters to f a liead by speaking of the Supreme Commander 's record as 'eighteen months of continuous failure.' There was alarm in his entourage lest the Supreme Commander should have a nervous breakdown.

"It was in this momeiit of crisis thal Dr. Evatt arrived in Tokio. He Was the only man who could deliver Gen eral MacArthur from Mr. Ball. This put him iii a strong diplohiatic position ancl the removal of the obstreperous Mr. Ball wasn't effected without a deference on the part of General MacArthur for the views of the Australian Minister of External Affairs, such as couldn 't have been expected a year ago General MacArthur was by now fully educated in an appreciation of the iin portance of Australia and Dr. Evatl returned to Canberra after reaching an agreement with him and his advisers on a wide range of topics. "