HINT IN U.S. PRESS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 32, 2 November 1942, Page 5

HINT IN U.S. PRESS

MacArthur May Return To Washington (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received November 1, 10.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, November 1. General MacArthur’s recall from Australia to Washington for an important war conference is forecast by the New York “Herald-Tribune” and the Washington “Times-Herald.” Both papers hint that his return may be permanent. “It is debatable whether General MacArthur’s abilities are being put to the best use in his present command, or whether he should be stationed at the centre of things in Washington.” says the “Herald-Tribune.” The “Christian Science Monitor,” describing General MacArthur’s recent declaration praising Australia’s war effort as “most unusual,” says that it is almost certainly bound to jn'ovide some decisive action in the control of the south-west Pacific war. The paper also declares that the idea that the United States carries most of the war burden here is incorrect, and that the foundation of Australia’s defence is still primarily her own soldiers and workers. IV. E. Lucas, the “Monitor’s' war correspondent in Australia, writes: “Hanson Baldwin’s charge that the attitude of Australian labour has caused the major burden of the war to fall on the Americans is more ill-founded than General MacArthur’s remark that no nation is making a more supreme war effort than Australia, but the truth lies between the two. Praise and Blame.

“Australia has made remarkable strides in her wartime economy, but there is still much slack, and some quarters do not realize the meaning cf total war. There are still sections of employers and employees who regard the national crisis as a bargaining counter. But these things, though they are exaggerated by interested parties, play a relatively small part in war activities." “What General MacArthur ought to have is not supreme command in t.be south-west. Pacific, btit more say in what goes on down there,” comments Raymond Gram Swing, the noted American news analyst. Mr, Swing invites those who believe that General MacArthur rather than Vice-Admiral Ghormley should have had command of the operations in the Solomons to admit that had the campaign been an unqualified success there would have been little talk of a unified command. “General MacArthur, had lie been commander, would have had to put a senior naval officer in charge of lhe campaign,” observes Mr. Swing. “That officer probably would have been Admiral Ghormley, ami so the question reduces itself not to one of unified command but of getting the right man for the particular job.”