REDUCTION IN STATUS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 September 1943, Page 6

REDUCTION IN STATUS

OF GENERAL MACARTHUR’S COMMAND ANTICIPATED BY NEW YORK WRITER. OTHER LINES OF ATTACK ON JAPANESE. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) NEW YORK. September 26. “General MacArthur’s South-West Pacific Command probably within six months will be reduced to the status of a garrison holding recaptured territories, while drives from other directions aim nt the East Indies and the Philippines,’’ writes Mr Sebring, in the New York ■‘Herald-Tribune.” “A realisation C this impending situation undoubtedly p>-l G-i W-1 ; atement, implying that his ideas of Pacific strategy will not govern future operations." Mr Sebring points out that virtually ■he entire operational activity of General MacArthur’s command is now concentrated north-eastwards of Australia, while American forces are consolidating positions in the Solomons. Obviously all these forces must converge on New Britain, Bougainville and New Ireland. The recently-created Central Pacific Command, under Lieu-tenant-General Richardson, in Hawaii gives a hint where land forces for the area north of New Guinea might come from. Mr Sebring suggests that it 'ight take a considerable time for General MacArthur to clean up New Guinea. Beyond that is where the rub comes in. He would like to pusn on to the Philippines, but it is conceivable that by that time plans would call for others to undertake this assignment. The “others” might be Admiral Mountbatten, moving eastwards from India, or American naval forces moving westwards through the Pacific. In either case it seems almost certain that General MacArthur’s command will end at the .equator on the north and slightly past the western tip of New Guinea on the west. How this will affect the continued use of Australia as a great Allied base remains a question, but with the South-West Pacific Command confined to these limits, its use as such would seem to be virtually ended.