AMERICAN WAR EFFORT

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24401, 30 October 1944, Page 3

AMERICAN WAR EFFORT

MAJOR OPERATIONS MR ROOSEVELT’S REVIEW (Rec. 8 p.m.) -WASHINGTON. Oct. 27. “During the last year the Americans have participated in 25 different landings on enemy held shores and furthermore, within the last five months, we have been able to carry out major operations in Europe and the Philippines 13,000 miles apart,” said Mr Roosevelt, speaking at Philadelphia. Referring to the operations ip the Philippines, Mr Roosevelt said: . “I wonder what has become of recent suggestions that I failed for political reasons to send enough forces and supplies to General Mac Arthur. “I realise that during a political campaign some consider it impolite to mention that the war is going on, but the war is still on. Eleven million American fighting men know it, and so do their families. In that waf- I bear a responsibility which I can never shirk and never forget. “From almost the first minute of my administration we began rebuilding the Navy which was whittled down during the previous Republican administrations,” said Mr Roosevelt. He outlined increases in the various branches of the armed forces that had been made in recent years. “After the Japanese attacked us and Hitler and Mussoloni declared war on

us, some urged that we should go on the defensive, pull in our fleet, guard our continent, and send no forces overseas,” continued Mr Roosevelt. “We rejected that policy. We cannot wage this war in a defensive spirit. As our power and resources are fully mobilised we shall carry the attack against the enemy. We shall hit him and hit him again wherever and whenever we can reach him. We must keep him far from our shores because we intend to bring this battle to him on his own home grounds.. “The war in Europe has now reached & decisive phase—the attack on Germany—but we have ipuch longer and farther to go in the war against Japan. All these operations had to be planned far in advance, and that does not mean drawing arrows on maps. The whole story of our vast effort in this war is a story of incredible achievement,”