American Criticism of Lord Louis Mountbatten

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 52, 4 March 1944, Page 5

American Criticism of Lord Louis Mountbatten

“FAILURE TO LAUNCH LARGE-SCALE CAMPAIGN” Received Saturday, 12.40 a.m. NEW YORK, March 3. Major-General Wedemeyer, DeputyChief of Staff to Lord Louis Mountbatten together with Anglo-American officers from the Southeast Asia Command, are reported to be engaged in ironing out differences of opinion between General Stilwell and Admiral Mountbatten regarding the method and speed with which the operations in this theatre are being conducted. This is reported by the New York Times’ Washington correspondent who says it is understood that General Stilwell is disappointed at Lord Louis Mountbatten’s failure to launch a large-scale campaign to retake Burma. Some of the younger American officers holding the same view have spread reports in Washington that Lord Louis Mountbatten is proving a disappointment in his new post. General Wedemeyer, who knows the difficulties whereunder Mountbatten is operating, does not share this view. A Department spokesman said the difficulties include priority for the European invasion and United States naval operations in the Central Pacific which demand both warships and merchantmen, thereby hampering Mountbatten’s preparations. British sources in Washington point out that Burma is British territory and therefore it is unlikely that anything hut lack of resources would deter Mountbatten from its reconquest.