PACIFIC WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 May 1943, Page 2

PACIFIC WAR

SATISFACTORY MEETING IN WASHINGTON ATTENDED BY CHURCHILL & ROOSEVELT. DISPOSITION OF ENEMY FORCES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, May 21. Mr Churchill and PresidentRoosevelt met- the Pacific War Council in Washington yesterday. Afterward members indicated that they gave an optimistic review of the general war situation. . Lord Halifax said the council received a general picture of the ■whole problem. One main, clement stood out —shipping.

Among those present were the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Mackenzie King, the Australian Minister of External Affairs, Dr Evatt, the former President of the Philippines, M. Quezon, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Soong. Australia’s views were outlined by Dr Evatt, who said later that the meeting had been a satisfactory one.

The Canadian Minister of National Defence, Colonel Ralston, and the three Canadian chiefs of staff flew to Washington from Ottawa to join in the military talks.

There was new evidence that the Japanese were tightening their outer defences in the South-West Pacific, while launching heavy attacks against the rice-producing areas of Central China, the Secretary of War, Mr Stimson, told a Press conference. Colonel Frederick Smith, Chief of Staff of the United States Fifth Air Force, and commander of the Buna and Papua air task force, told Press representatives that the Japanese now had twice the number of Allied planes in the South-West Pacific. Japanese air strength in New Britain had almost doubled during the past five months. “I think this increased strength is primarily a defensive development,” said Colonel Smith, “but I may be wrong.”