"GIVEN MINOR ROLE"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 57, 8 March 1945, Page 7

"GIVEN MINOR ROLE"

CORRESPONDENT'S STORY

LONDON, March 7. The British Fleet is believed to have been assigned a comparatively minor role in the Pacific war as a result of a change in strategy which will keep the forces under Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser's command out of Japanese home waters, says the "Daily Mail's" New York correspondent.

This means, in effect, that Admiral Fraser's ships will not get a chance to fight it out with the Japanese. The campaigns in which the British will

join have been limited apparently to operations against Singapore and possibly Hong Kong. Admiral Fraser's statement on March 5 that the British Fleet was ready and waiting for action is regarded as a veiled protest against the revised strategy. It is no secret that Admiral E. J. King, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. fleets, has consistently opposed greater British participation in the war against Japan.

It is time for some straight talking on the role of the British Pacific Fleet in the battle for Japan, cables the "Daily Mail's" correspondent, Graham Stanford, from British Pacific Fleet headquarters. After reference to Admiral Fraser's statement that the British officers and men are spoiling for the fight, the correspondent says that Ameriran naval writers have doubted the ability of the British Fleet to operate as a self-supporting unit because of its supply difficulties in these vast waters. They take the view that the American navy is able to cope with the Japanese navy. ; On the contrary, British Navy experts contend that the British Pacific Fleet is fully equipped to operate efficiently, and is able and ready to switch its full strength against the Japanese.

Mr. Stanford adds that a frank statement from the highest quarters in London is urgently required to clear the air before the battle for Japan begins and to belie rumours that political considerations threaten to intrude in Pacific strategy.