AMERICA AT WAR

Evening Star, Issue 24325, 14 October 1942, Page 3

AMERICA AT WAR

PEOPLE UNITED AS NEVER BEFORE STIRRING SPEECH BY PRESIDENT WASHINGTON, Oct-obur 12. “ The American people are united as never before in their determination to do their job, and do it well. The whole nation is becoming one great fighting force.” said President Roosevelt in a world-wide broadcast to-day. “ Whatever our circumstances and opportunities, we are all in it. Our spirit is 'good, and wo Americans and our Allies arc going to win. Do not let anyone tell you anything different.” These, said the President, were the main things he had observed during his recent tour of inspection. “ With every passing week the war has increased in scope and intensity,” he said. “ The strength of the United Nations is on the up grade, while the Axis loaders, on the contrary, know they have already reached their full strength, and their steadily mounting losses in men and material cannot be fully replaced. Germany and Japan are already realising what the inevitaable result will be when the total strength of the United Nations hits them at additional places. “ The war of nerves is now becoming a boomerang, and the Axis leaders have begun to apologise to their own people for the repulse of their vast forces at Stalingrad and the enormous casualties. They are compelled to beg their overworked people to rally their weakened production. They are proclaiming that a second front is impossible, and at the same time are desperately rushing troops in all directions and, stringing barbed wire all the way from the coast of Finland to the islands of the Eastern Mediterranean. NAZI ATROCITIES. “ Meanwhile they have been driven to increase the fury of their atrocities. We have made it clear that the Halted Nations do not seek reprisals against the populations of Germany, Italy, and Japan, but the ringleaders and their brutal henchmen must be named, apprehended, and tried in ' accordance with the judicial processes of criminal law.” BATTLE OF PRODUCTION. The President said lie was impressed on his tour by the number Of women employed in skilled manual work, and within the year there would probably lie as many women as men working in war production plants. “ In order to keep stepping up our production we have added millions of workers to the nation’s total labour force, but additional millions must be found as new factories come into operation. We must learn to ration man power; we must use older men and more women, and even grown boys and girls to replace men of military age and fitness. We must cease wastage of labour in all non-essential activities.” ALLIED STRATEGY. The President said that plans would not be decided by those who expounded views in the Press; they would be left to the military leaders of the United Nations, who were in agreement on the plans. Many major decisions of strategy had been made, and one on which all were agreed related to the necessity for diverting enemy forces from Russia and China to other theatres of war by new offensives against Germany and Japan. “ We , are mindful of .the countless millions of people whose future liberty, whose very lives, depend upon permanent victory for United Nations,” said the President. “ Our objective to-day is dear and realistic. It is to destroy completely the military power of Germany, Italy, and Japan fo such good purpose that their threat against us and all other United Nations cannot bo revived a generation hence. Wo are united in seeking the kind of victory that will guarantee that our grandchildren can grow and under God live their lives free from a constant throat of invasion, destruction, slavery, and violent death.” AIR ALERT IN FREETOWN LONDON, - October 14. A message from Sierra Leone states that on Sunday afternoon two unidentified aircraft approached the harbour of Freetown. R.A.F. fighters went up to intercept, but the intruders dived to sea level and escaped. NO QUISLINGS IN DUTCH INDIES NEW YORK, October 12. “ Among the ,70,000,000 inhabitants of tho Dutch East Indies there is not a single Quisling,” declared a former Governor of East Java, Dr Charles Vanderplas. “ Even now the Japanese are unable to get a Quisling, and they have been forced to appoint a Japanese Mayor of Sourabaya. The Indonesians are still fighting the invader on Timor and Borneo, and underground forces are active in Java, where many Japanese are being killed every night.” TESTING TIME IN FRANCE CONSCRIPTION OF WORKERS LONDON, October 13. In two days’ time 133,000 skilled French workers will have to be handed over to Germany or compulsion will be imposed to ensure the fulfilment of the Nazi demands. Commenting on the position, ‘The Timespoints out that the issue involves much more than the exchange of workers for a smaller number of prisoners. “Itis a test,” ‘ The Times ’ says, “ showing how wide and deep is the spirit of non-co-operation in France. The movement of resistance is sounding a more challenging note, and the German efforts to silence it will bring France under a more ruthless wave of violence.’’ JAPANESE IN HAWAII PROBLEM FOR U.S. AUTHORITIES (Rec. 8 a.in.) NEW YORK, October 12. With approximately 153,000 Japanese living in Hawaii and filling vital positions, these islands face a peculiar problem, says the Honolulu correspondent of the United Press. Except in a few minor instances thus far the authorities have not interned or at tempted to remove Japanese from military areas. Their removal would consitute a gigantic physical problem, because the entire territory is a military ear. Moreover, only 22 per cent, of the Japanese population are not citizens, and the Nipponese occupy important positions in public utilities and business life. Undoubtedly the Japanese possessed an efficient espionage system in Honolulu before the Avar, but there was little sabotage on December 7 or since, according to tho police chief.