NEW DEFENCE AREA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 163, 23 April 1942, Page 3

NEW DEFENCE AREA.

NEW ZEALAND AND ISLANDS. AMERICAN NAVAL COMMAND. DISTINCT FROM “SOUTH-WEST" STATEMENT BY MR FRASER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Peter Fraser) announced to-day that under am arrangement be- 1 tween the Governments of the United States, Britain, the Netherlands!, Australia and New Zealand, the Dominion of Nfw Zealand and the island areas including Fiji, for the defence of which New Zealand is responsible, have been allotted to an area known as the i “South Pacific area," which will be placfd under American naval command. This area will be separate and distinct from the “South-west Pacific” area which has been placed under General Douglas Mac Arthur’s command. “It was our desire that Australia and New Zealand should remain closely linked in the one area under General MacArthur and we made representations accordingly, but strategical considerations, as determined in Washington, must prevail, and we accordingly concurred in the above organisation,” said Mr Fraser. “Arrangements are, however, in train for the closest co-operation to continue between the Australian and New Zealand Governments and between General MacArthur and those in command in New Zealand and in the South Pacific area, while the whole area of the 1 Pacific will be co-ordinated by the combined chiefs of staff and the Pacific War Council in Washington. Military liaison has already been effected by the appointment to Australia of a high ranking officer (Brigadier Goss) who has already taken up his duties with General Mac Arthur’s staff.” REASON FOR DECISION. NAVAL DRIiVE TO JAPAN. LIAISON WITH MACARTHUR (Rec. 11.45) NEW YORK, April 22. New Zealand will be included in a new South Pacific command under an American naval officer, who will receive order from Admiral Nimitz. It was learned from a responsible source that this means that New Zealand will not be included in General MacArthur’s South-western Pacific command, although the closest possible liaison will be maintained between Australia and New Zealand, also between the South Pacific and Southwestern Pacific commands. The Washington correspondent of the “New York Times” says it is coincidentally learned that the Pacific War Council is considering establishing two more Pacific operations areas under the general authority of Admiral Nimitz. The first of these would embrace all the Pacific north of the equator, except the area round Alaska, which would constitute a second area under a separate operations officer. The South Pacific command has been placed under naval authority obviously because of the numerous islands in this expanse, also since an eventual sea drive westward to Japan would have to be under naval supervision. General MacArthur’s eventual offensive will be northward. It is believed*here that New Zealand favoured being placed under General MacArthur’s authority from the beginning, but the decision against such a step taken purely for strategical reasons, in which the Pacific Council concurred. While Admiral Nimitz will command the whole of the Pacific except the south-western portion, this area is so vast that subordinate naval officers are deemed necessary in order to implement Admiral Nimitz’s decisions and handle details of the operations. It is for this reason also that a North Pacific and Alaska command is under consideration. It is also possible that the southeastern Pacific will constitute a separate area, making a total of five Pacific command areas, four of which are under American naval officers and the fifth under General MacArthur. The new South Pacific command obviously embraces the islands lying north and east of New Zealand, including Fiji, Samoa and others. Since the United States Navy is the most important United NNation’s unit in this area the reason is clear for putting an American naval officer in command. There are numerous forces, including British and Free French, in this area which will come under American naval authority.