ALLIES CONFER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 56, 7 March 1942, Page 7

ALLIES CONFER

NEW STRATEGY

Threatened Attack On India

And Australia

Omted Association.—Conyrijrht. Rec. 1.30. WASHINGTON, Mar. 6.

President Roosevelt for three hours conferred with representatives of the British and American staff councils, including Mr. H. L Stimson. Secretary for War: General George C. Marshall. Chief of the Army Staff; Major-General H. H Arnold. Chief of the Army Air CorpsAdmiral E. J. King, Commander-in-Chief of United States Fleets- and Admiral H. R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, as representatives of the United States.

The British representatives were Field-Marshal Sir John Dill (liaison officer in America co-ordinating the Pacific commands with Washington)Admiral Sir Charles Little (a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Chief of Navy Personnel): AirMarshal Evill. Lieutenant-Genera 1 Sir Colville Wemyss, and Commander Coleridge.

The New York Times says Mr. Roosevelt called the conference in order to devise a new strategv necessitated by the fear that Japan mav attack Australia and India.

Netherlands officials in Washington point out that an additional 1000 planes from the Allies would have turned the tide in the battle for the Netherlands East Indies. They added that shipments from America to the Far East have been ample in the past few days, but were verv unsatisfactory earlier. They further point out that only the unsatisfactory influx of aeroplanes from the Allies prevented China hitherto from attacking Japan.

The Herald-Tribune describes Mr. Roosevelt's conference as of major importance. It says the measures discussed have led to the expectation of an early attack against JaDan in the form of a land offensive and air attack from China. It interprets Dr. van Mook's statement that "an attack may be expected from another side" as meaning that the Chinese Army will receive substantial aid with a view to launching a crushing offensive against Japan with combined Chinese, British and American forces.

A message from Chungking states that 2,000,000 Chinese guerillas have been operating behind the enemy lines for the past 13 months. They have carried out 4800 attacks and killed and wounded 150,000 Japanese as well as capturing large quantities of war material.