GLOOMY VIEW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 March 1942, Page 3

GLOOMY VIEW

TAKEN IN UNITED STATES OF OUTLOOK IN PACIFIC. WIDER COMMAND SUGGESTED FOR MACARTHUR. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, March 3. The announcement in London that General Wavell is relinquishing the supreme command of the Allied forces in the south-west Pacific and returning to the India command is generally interpreted in Washington, says the “New York Times” correspondent, as a prelude to the collapse of organised resistance in Java, the last major Allied stronghold in that part of the Pacific and the final source of petroleum for the United Nations in that area. The “Herald Tribune’s” Washington correspondent mentions the possibility that General MacArthur, United States Commander-in-Chief, Far East, will now be called to assume the command General Wavell has left. “This possibility is supported by reports from Australia that General MacArthur, whose brilliant resistance in Luzon is the one bright spot in the otherwise gloomy record of Allied defeats in the Far East, might be summoned to take up General Wavcll’s post,” the correspondent adds. “The reports quoted Australian newspapers as urging General MacArthur’s appointment on the ground that the United States is now the clearly-designated key-nation in Australia’s defence scheme. AUSTRALIA NEXT? “With Singapore gone and Java gravely threatened, Australia is believed to be the next object of attack in the Japanese time schedule. The defence of Australia is obviously of prime importance to the United States. “If Australia and New Zealand fall to the Japanese the United Nations will lose their last bastion in the south-west Pacific and the last place from which they can launch offensive operations against the enemy. “Furthermore, should the Japanese overwhelm Australia and New Zealand they will be free to turn their attention to Hawaii, which is America’s first line of defence in the Pacific against attack on the continental United States. “It is recalled in this connection that the New Zealand Minister to Washington, Mr Nash, in his first interview to the Press here called for an American to be named commander in the Pacific area.” In contrast, the “New York Times” correspondent comments as follows: “The significance of these events for Australia is still obscure, but the impression in Washington is that the Japanese will not attempt a major in-

vasion of Australia but will bombard it and pass on to attack India as the next major step in their goal of pushing westward to meet the German and Italian forces somewhere in the Middle East.”