ADMIRAL HALSEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 May 1943, Page 4

ADMIRAL HALSEY

RETURN TO ADVANCED BASE AFTER VISIT TO GENERAL MACARTHUR. SPECULATION IN NEW YORK. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) ‘ (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) NEW YORK, May 13. The commander of the South Pacific area, Admiral Halsey has returned to an advanced South Pacific base after conferring with the Commander-in-Chief in the South-West Pacific, General MacArthur. Observers agree that the conference may herald a new phase in the Pacific war. PACIFIC OFFENSIVE DISCUSSION IN UNITED STATES. (Received This Day, 1 p.m.) NEW YORK, May 13. The New York “Daily Mirror” says: “If a Pacific offensive is being considered, it is unfortunate that General MacArthur is not present, since General MacArthur knows more about the Japanese and how to beat them than anyone else on either the British or' American staffs.” Mr Glen Perry, a Washington columnist, says: “Japan cannot feel safe as the. British and American leaders get down to business. The presence of American four-motored bombers in China is a sign of what is coming. There are other indications. Mr Churchill and President Roosevelt may not confine their discussions to the Western Hemisphere.” “Invasions are planned months ahead,” says the New York “World Telegram,” and presumably summer invasion preparations are now far advanced. There are immediate and pressing problems of general policy requiring agreement. A joint Allied command is needed, and something must be done quickly for desperate China. Neither can the Pacific be neglected much longer.” The “New York Times” Washington correspondent notes that political commentators, almost without exception, assume that some form of Pacific offensive is among the topics being discussed by President Roosevelt and Mr Churchill. CLOSE CO-ORDINATION OF NAVAL AND OTHER FORCES. SAID TO BE ASSURED. (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. “Do not expect war-winning miracles, but now the Japanese have been halted we are not going to slack on our oars.”—An Australian war correspondent in a South Pacific area gives this official summing up of the outcome of the conference between General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey. Plans for pooling all means of war at their disposal are reported to have been mapped by the two commanders. Details are being worked out in continuing conferences between representatives of both commands. Although no official comment has been made it is believed that the meeting between General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey was related directly to Allied offensive moves in the Pacific, particularly to operations in New Guinea and the Solomons area. Commentators point out that both commanders advocate attack as the first principle of warfare. “Their purpose apparently is to use everything available to win as quickly as possible, without undue sacrifice or reckless jeopardy of present positions or future chances,” writes an Associated Press correspondent. “’One clear outcome is that General MacArthur is and always has been Commander-in-Chief for both offensive and defensive operations in the New Guinea-Solo-mons area.” “Admiral Halsey's visit was in the nature of paying a personal visit to his boss," says one correspondent. He did not do so earlier because he has been too busy fighting the war.” Administrative evolution rather than sensational changes in commands are reported to have been the outcome of the conference, which is generally regarded as signalising a new and hopeful phase in the Pacific war. An interpretation of the present command position is given in .'the “Sydney Telegraph” today, by its war correspondent. Osmar White, who writes: “The forces at present congregated in the South Pacific area constitute a floating pool of strength which, when used by General MacArthur for combined operations to the north-east of Australia, will be entirely under his command. When required by the United States Navy commander in the Pacific, Admiral Nimitz, for the development of a wider strategy, they will be under Admiral Nimitz for tactical distribution. Admiral Halsey’s position is presumably that of an admiral responsible for the co-ordination of the entire floating force in the South-West Pacific area, and the tasks allotted to it by General MacArthur or Admiral Nimitz and also of entirely naval operations undertaken for whatever purpose in the South Pacific Ocean area.” It is emphasised that full co-opera-tion between the forces of General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey has always existed. The conference makes it clear that there are no strategic differences between a broad of New Guinea and a broad view of the Solomons area. It also stresses the unprecedented degree of co-ordination of land, sea and air forces required to achieve satisfactory results. War correspondents reiterate that the first major Allied offensive move must logically be directed against Rabaul, in New Britain. “It is encouraging,” writes a correspondent, “to have an official assurance that in such a perilous and extremely difficult operation, complete unity of command will exist in the disposition of forces.”

The Canadian cost of living index advanced fractionally during March. The war time increase is now 16.7 per cent.