ALLIED SUPPLIES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20859, 11 August 1942, Page 4

ALLIED SUPPLIES

AUSTRALIAN FRONT ‘MISLEADING STATEMENTS’ ANSWER TO,CRITICS (11 a.m.) ' MELBOURNE, Aug. 11. The Minister of External' Affairs, Dr. H. V. Evatt,' referring'last night to “misleading ahd'misphievous statements about strategy and'"supplies,” said that one crushing answer to the critics, who had suggested the strategic importance'" of the' Pacific theatre was insufficiently appreciated, was the offensive now developing in the Solomons. • •-a It was impossible to discuss publicly the details of- strategy, tactics, -supply and allocations. The War Council had been fully consulted on all- important questions. What had been agreed by Mr. Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt showed a full recognition of Australia’s strategic importance. Excepting temporary suspensions through over-riding necessities, all those arrangements had been fully met. Our debt to both countries was "very great. Having regard to the serious, -position in other theatres, it was utter folly to suggest that the Pacific was not regarded by the British and United States leaders as being of crucial importance. Australia agreed to the diversion to other more urgent theatres of the new high-performance fighter aircraft capable of dealing with the latest Japanese Zeros. These aircraft were actually on the way to Australia when the Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, believing, that they might. make the difference . between saying and losing Egypt, consented to their diversion to the Middle East. Obviously labouring under a heavy strain for some time past, the Prime Minister made a decision' which was regarded as one of the most difficult of his' career. Fighter aircraft to outclimb and out-manoeuvre the Japanese Zeros are a primary need in- the south-west Pacific war theatre, and the loss of these planes has seriously diminished the Allied striking power here and hampered operations designed to counter the continued enemy infiltration. Though Mr. Curtin has refused to comment on'th'e diversion of these planes, it is known that Mr. Curtin and his colleagues unreservedly accepted the view that, however necessary they were in this theatre, they must’ go to the front on which the need was even more urgent.