“GIVE THE HARD FACTS”

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23674, 26 June 1942, Page 5

“GIVE THE HARD FACTS”

Mr Hughes on War

Situation

FULLER PACIFIC NEWS URGED (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Received June 25, 10 p.m.)

' . SYDNEY, June 25. Doubts whether the public was being told all it could safely be told about the progress of the war have been expressed by Mr W. M. Hughes. He asks whether the communiques in the south-west Pacific are giving as full and accurate a picture of the war as they should do. “While it is obvious that, useful information. must be withheld from the enemy, the public is entitled to an accurate account of the war as a whole, and of the campaigns in the various theatres,” he said. “There is very good reason to doubt whether it is being told all it should be told, and all it ran safely be told. “There can be no justification for misleading the people if our forces are not doing well. To hide or disguise the fact must have a grave reaction on public morale when the truth is eventually known. We have seen that happen all too often in this war. ■ “It is time to Inquire whether the public is not similarly being misled in our own theatre of war in the south, west Pacific. Are the communiques in this theatre giving as full and accurate a picture as they should? If losses which must- be well known to the enemy are being minimised or suppressed, the Australian people are living in a fool’s paradise. No Justification for Complacency

“These syrupy communiques .not only encourage a public complacency for which there is no justification, but they might well lead to disaster, A ruthless and powerful enemy is at our gates.' Complacency and unjustified optimism is a crime. “Australians, like their kinsmen in other parts of the Empire, should given the blunt, hard facts. To hide the truth* from them is a slander on their courage and their willingness to spare nothing in the cause of victory. “It is obvious to everyone that certain facts must not be revealed, but the enemy is not a fool. When we know that he knows our losses our people are entitled to have that information.

“A great deal is being said in these days about morale and discipline in our forces. What can be more damaging to the morale of our men than for them to read communiques and ministerial statements which they know do not represent the true picture of the fighting in which they are giving their lives? And yet that is what is happening. “This , state of affaits must be corrected before it endangers the confidence of our fighting men to their leaders, and before it deludes the pub. lie into believing that victory is assured/' FLIGHT TO THE CELEBES ALLIED RECONNAISSANCE (Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Received June 28. 1 a.m.) SYDNEY, June 25. The Allied Air Force has extended Its reconnaissance activity over the Celebes, about 900 miles north-west of Darwin. This is * revealed in the latest South-west Pacific General Headquarters communique, which states that an Allied reconnaissance unit has been over Kendari, one of the three mam centres in the Celebes. This flight is by far the longest reconnaissance yet made by our air forces. Considerable speculation has- been aroused by the announcement; of:the flight, especially to view of references to reconnaissances to this week’s communiques. The Celebes have not been mentioned previously to any south-west‘Pacific communiques: No information-is given of the type of aircraft which undertook the flight, but it is generally believed that long-range flying-boats must have been .employed. An attempt at interception by. three enemy‘fignters was unsuccessful. Kendari, on Staring Bay on the south-east prong of the main Celebes Island, was formerly a Netherlands air base. It was used as a base by the Japanese forces which struck against, Java, and it is believed to have been considerably developed by the enemy. The possibility o* a gathering of 'enemy forces at Kendari, which is less vulnerable than more southerly bases, cannot be overlooked. Other allied and enemy reconnaissances over unspecified areas are also reported in to-day’s communique.

R.A.F. RAID ON ST. NAZAIRE '

EFFECT OF ATTACKS ON EMDEN (Received June 25, 11 p.m.) LONDON, June 25. The Royal Air Force last night attacked St. Nazaire. Fighters were encaged in intruder operations over enemy airfields. No British aircraft were lost in these operations. Five German bombers were shot down over England yesterday in raids on East Anglia and ' the Midlands. Casualties suffered in these raids were slight. A twelfth century church in East Anglia was completely burnt out. Over London a single enemy aeroplane was seen. There are no reports of bombs being dropped. The Air Ministry news service states that a reconnaissance has established that Monday night’s Royal Air Force raid on Emden has added greatly to the (damage already done to one of the Germans’ main North Sea ports; The attack must be Jinked with the recent work of the Bomber Command in many parts of Germany. The port, which had special facilities for unloading iron ore, from Scandinavia on its way to the Ruhr, has been heavily damaged. The submarine building yards at Emden were again extensively damaged as part of the same campaign in which the Diesel engine factories at Augsburg and Cologne, and several plants for making electrical apparatus at Cologne, were attacked. Germany’s liberal use of timber must now be restricted by the effect of the attacks on the port, which received large quantities from the north. Severe damage was inflicted on both the docks and town, and on the main railway station. When the reconnaissance was made on Tuesday the harbour station had also been severely damaged. Sheds in the Government yards were destroyed. The submarine works show heavy damage, and here also stores were still burning. The destruction among warehouses and dock premises includes two large buildings belonging to the Hamburg Amerika Line seriously damaged by fire. Large areas of the town have been devastated.

Horse Racing to End in South Africa. —Horse racing will end for the duration of the war after Saturday’s Durban July Handicap, the biggest turf event of the year, with which General Smuts said he was reluctant to interfere.—Cape Town, June 24.