WAR SITUATION

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23447, 30 September 1941, Page 6

WAR SITUATION

“LOT OF COCKEYED OPTIMISM ” VIEWS OF AMERICAN REPORTER (P.A) AUCKLAND, Sept, 29. “There is a lot of cock-eyed optimism, not in Government circles, but among the people both in England and America. You hear on all sides that Hitler is all washed up, and has made a fatal mistake in Russia,” said Mr Vincent Sheean, the noted American writer and correspondent, in a review of the war situation on his arrival from America by the Honolulu clipper. Mr Sheean, who has spent the greater part of the summer in England, 1 is making a tour of the Pacific to write a series of articles on Pacific defence, for the “Herald-Tribune" syndicate. and American magazines. “I don’t think the lull is very good for the people from one point of view," he added, in referring to the situation in England. “It gives the people time to grouse about the food and other things. There’s a lot in what the old lady said: ‘There’s nothing like a good bombing to take your mind off the war.’ ” In spite of the most determined efforts, the keenness of fire watchers and air raid wardens was bound to diminish. It could be a most boring task when there were no attacks. On the other hand, the lull was proving valuable in overcoming the threatened coal shortage, in the clearance of damaged buildings and the like. There had been, no lull on the Atlantic. The Navy was as busy as ever, although slightly helped by United States measures. However, ships taken off Atlantic convoys were transferred elsewhere. The Navy was working at tremendous pressure, and neither the ships nor the men were quite as spruce as two years ago. The men got practically no leave. He had been to sea with the Navy, and found that they were wonderful people. The Royal Air Force was making tremendous efforts. Misplaced optimism was perhaps even more unfortunate in America than in England, and made it more difficult for the President to go ahead with his programme. “There will be some action by the American Navy within the next few weeks,” he continued. “I don’t see how it can be avoided, even if the Germans try their hardest to avoid it." Mr Sheean will inspect the New Zealand defence services during his stay in the Dominion. He will leave after a brief stay for Australia, the Dutch East Indies, and Singapore.