PACIFIC ISLANDS

Evening Star, Issue 25113, 1 March 1944, Page 5

PACIFIC ISLANDS

JAPANESE MANDATED TERRITORIES ANNEXATION BY AMERICA ADVOCATED (Rec. 12.10 p.m.) NEW YORK, February 29. The annexation of Japanese mandated Pacific islands by the United States after the war because there is no friendly Power which can defend and hold them, is advocated by the 'Herald-Tribune's'- analyst, "Walter Lippmann. . " Without them," he says, " we cannot ensure post-war communication with our Chinese allies. However, this issue must not he confused with other Pacific islands belonging to Britain, .Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal. It is in the manifest interest of the United States that these islands should be strongly held by the Allied Nations. If we hold the Central Pacific to the Philippines then the burden of governing, manning, and fortifying the South Pacific should be carried out by nations already there, In the discussion for the arrangement of peace in the Pacific it will be advisable to divide primary responsibility at the equator and then negotiate agreements on the principle that each nation -which is a party thereto will organise the defences of its islands and maintain its own armaments on an. agreed level. These arrangements should doubtlessly include reciprocal privileges for naval and air bases in all the islands belonging to the United Nations, but let us not forget that what would make valuable the privilege of using naval bases in Australia and New Zealand is'the power and will of the Australians and New Zealanders to i defend, maintain, and support them."