MISSION TO U.S.A.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 107, 7 May 1943, Page 3

MISSION TO U.S.A.

EVATT CRITICISED Question Of Air Supplies For South-west Pacific N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 12.30 p.m. SYDNEY, this day. "If the danger to Australia is as great as Dr. Evatt would lead the American public to. believe—and even the Australian public is mystified about the position—then the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin, should immediately go to Washington." This statement is made by Mr. J. P. Abbott, a prominent Commonwealth Opposition member who has accused Dr. Evatt, Australian Minister of External Affairs, now in Washington, of creating bad feeling between the United States Government and the Commonwealth. _ Mr. Abbott emphasised that there had been no published complaint from New Zealand concerning the flow of war supplies into the Southern Pacific area. The tone of Mr. Abbott's statement is not in accord with the published opinions of Australian war observers in the South-west Pacific, or of those writing from the United States. Correspondents in Washington have emphasised the happy personal relations existing between Dr. Evatt and leading members of the United States Government and the civil and service administrations as being an important factor in securing a sympathetic hearing for Australia's case for increased war supplies. Substantial Aircraft Promised The Sydney Morning Herald Washington correspondent. „ to-day quotes a high American—Government official as~'saying ffiafT from now on "a substantial number" -of aircraft will go to the South-west Pacific. He added that Dr. Evatt's mission had been responsible for a considerable modification of the conditions under which the augmented air allotment was promised to the South-west Pacific Air Commander, Lieutenant-General Kenney, who recently visited Washington. American naval authorities are stated to agree with Australian opinion that Japan's naval striking power in the Pacific has not been seriously weakened, and that her main battle fleet has virtually not yet seen action. • However, lack of repair and replacement facilities for merchant shipping is considered to be a limiting factor in the Japanese plans. "There is considerable optimism in some American sources concerning the progress of the war against Japan," writes an Australian correspondent, "but this optimism is not shared by all observers." Despite the comparative lull in the Southwest Pacific, war observers here are generally agreed that danger signals are still flying. Among these are the intermittent heavy Japanese air raids in the north and the submarine drive off the eastern Australian coast recently announced by General Mac Arthur. "These moves," says the Sydney Morning Herald editorially to-day, "are obviously part of a concerted plan. Japanese strategy is essentially offensive. Offensive action won them a rich empire and a strong position from which to defend it. Shrewd, Tenacious Enemies "It seems incredible that, with their main fighting power still unimpaired, they will be content to stand passively along their perimeter and not hit out from bases equally suited to offence or defence. These shrewd, tenacious enemies no less than ourselves have learned the lesson of land-based air power. They have found that they cannot move their naval forces and transports without control of the skies. "Hence they have concentrated on clearing abundant air strips in the islands, and building up a strong air fleet which can be moved rapidly around the arc. Intensified submarine warfare to Interrupt the flow of supplies to Australia is a logical complement of this .design. To allow the Japanese to gain command of the air in the Southern Pacific is to invite a repetition of last year's disaster. "The struggle of the coming months in this theatre will more than ever be a struggle for aerial supremacy, and the initiative in sea and land attack will rest with the winner. Australia needs the promised aircraft."