DANGER OF DIVISION

Southland Times, Issue 24889, 31 October 1942, Page 5

DANGER OF DIVISION

HOW WAR COULD BE LOST (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 30. In Australia war observers have become gravely concerned that, in the words of The Sydney Morning Herald, “The nation’s partnership in arms must not be weakened by political or other differences which, mirrored or distorted, may misrepresent to either country what the other is doing in the war.” The costly battle for the Solomons seems now to have fully awakened the United States to the magnitude of the Pacific war. “This war will be won or lost in the Pacific,” The Sydney Morning Herald comments. “There is only one war. The war in the Pacific could be lost—by division among the Allies.” Urging that controversy should be stilled while the battle rages the paper adds: “The strategy which precipitated the Solomons battle has been questioned and doubts about its issue have been .unduly prevalent. These misgivings do less than justice both to the boldness of the United States Navy’s stroke at Japan’s flank in the South Pacific and to the results which already have been achieved.” UNIFIED COMMAND In Australia and in the United States criticism of the conduct of the South Pacific war has crystallized on the urgent need for unified command in this theatre. Nominating General MacArthur as the original and logical choice as supreme commander The Sydney Daily Telegraph says: “If General MacArthurs’ plan to drive the Japanese out of New Guinea and to push on to the Netherlands East Indies had been implemented the Allies would have cut the flank of Japan’s advance towards India, eliminated the threat to Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific island chain.” “The United States naval plan to island hop from the Solomons was excellent,” says the Telegraph, “if the Allies had ships and equipment enough to push north from the Soldmons and from New Guinea simultaneously. But there are not enough for both operations. General MacArthur is thwarted because he has not the naval command, and. it is possible that Vice-Admiral. William Halsey may be inhibited through lack of troops and an insufficiency of land-based planes.” In America the loss of the offensive initiative in the Solomons has stirred some sections of Congress to demand a thorough investigation into the conduct of the Pacific war. Several Congressmen who have served with the armed forces in this theatre are stated to have brought back “disquieting news.” Leading commentators express the view that now that General MacArthur has made plain he has no political ambitions his admirers in Congress will take an early opportunity to press for a united South Pacific command under his control. NOT NAVY PLAN

A denial that the United States Pacific island hopping offensive was a “navy plan” has been made by the U.S. Secretary of War, Mr Henry L. Stimson, who says that the move was decided on by the Service chiefs after close consultation and upon an agreed strategy. “The forthright and manly statement of General MacArthur magnificently vindicating Australia’s war effort has been generally applauded throughout the United States. The New York Sun welcomed its publication. The Sun says: “It completely offsets the recent ill-conceived criticism of Australia’s war effort.” DIVISION OF COMMAND

“General MacArthur’s airmen are apparently not permitted to continue hammering blows against the southern Solomons, although General MacArthur is obviously anxious to aid the Solomons campaign wherever possible,” comments The New York Daily News. “This leads to the inevitable conclusion that America’s top strategists are not willing to permit General MacArthur to share public recognition by participating in the Solomons. General MacArthur has never publicly complained about the division of the command, nor indicated displeasure when Washington took New Caledonia, New Zealand, the New Hebrdies and the Solomons from his jurisdiction, but aerial activities reflect the result. Since August 7 General MacArthur’s air force has only raided northern Solomons bases, although the pilots were itching to strike at the Japanese fleet at Guadalcanar and Tulagi. Such assistance is impossible under a divided command.