ALLIED OFFENSIVE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 50, 28 February 1942, Page 7

ALLIED OFFENSIVE

LITVINOV'S ADVICE

FATE OF AXIS THIS SPRING

(By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright.) NEW YORK, February 26.

M. Litvinov, the Soviet Ambassador, Sir John Dill, British member of the Anglo-American Chiefs of Staff Group, and Mr. Leon Hendex-son, war econdmist, today addressed the Overseas Press Club.

M. Litvinov said that the united nations could knock Hitler out this summer by simultaneous offensive actions on two fronts. A spring offensive against Russia, he said, would be the decisive "make or break eifort of the Axis," and the Allies shouid act accordingly.

M. Litvinov explained that this did not mean that the Allies should concentrate their forces for the Russian front, but Russia desired legitimately that the forces which were not used at present should not be kept in idleness and inaction.

"The struggle against Hitler will reach a peak in the spring, and then all the Allied forces should be put into action," he said. 'There must not be, idle armies and immobile navies and air forces, because this spring will decide the fate of the Axis.

"I think there will not be more fronts outside Europe along which decisive battles and offensive actions are possible—at least not for a long time, till the considerable forces of the United States can be matured." PLEA FOR MUTUAL CONFIDENCE. General Dill praised the Russians, who, he said, were l'ising supi-eme over their trials and anguish, and he pleaded for mutual confidence.

He emphasised the upsurge of British spirit which had maintained the growth of the Commonwealth throughout the centuries. "Britain, Canada. New Zealand. Australia, South Africa, and India are fighting by land. sea. and air in defence of their common heritage," he said. "India alone has contributed more than 1,000,000 fighting volunteers.1' The united nations were fighting for liberty against slavery, for the right to speak and wort ship. There wuuld be an endless age of darkness and tyranny if the Allies failed, and therefore they would not accept any alternative but full victory.

Mr. Henderson said: "None of our Allies, nor any Axis Power, has ever diverted such a percentage of the total production to war as the United States is planning to divert in the next two years." He added that war production in America would cost 50,000,000,000 dollars in 1942. and 75,000,000,000 in 1943. This meant that the living standard would soon fall below the lowest point in the great depression.