INTER-ALLIED UNITY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21607, 9 January 1945, Page 2

INTER-ALLIED UNITY

When the United States entered the war, mainly as a result of drastic provocation from the Japanese, it’was thought in idealistic circles that a golden opportunity had come for cementing Anglo-American relations and building up'for all time “a cooperative spirit that would guarantee future world peace. The Americans have ' thrown themselves heart and soul into the conflict. They have supplemented their lend-lease ’ aid to Britain with a martial vigour which hastened the success of the operations in the Mediterranean, made possible the landing in France in overwhelming strength and brought telling defeats and devastation to the Japanese Empire. For the Roosevelt administration and the American fighting man there can be nothing but the greatest admiration and gratitude. As far as the battle on the Western Front is concerned Field-Marshal .Montgomery has expressed an opinion of both the British and the American soldier which will be echoed and re-echoed throughout the United Nations. Unfortunately, however, influences are at work in America, possibly stimulated by Nazi agents and propagandists, reflecting a proneness to indulge on the most flimsy grounds in carping criticism at. the expense of Britain and the Empire. If this development is not checked by responsible arid authoritative Americaris, even if it means for the time being curtailment of the freedom of the country’s press, there is a serious danger that the dreams of Anglo-American unity will fade. President Roosevelt, in his great wisdom, realises the weaknesses of n section of his fellow-countrymen. In his message to Congress he has. given many impressive reasons why j there must be absolute unity between all the fighting Allies, including, ot course, Russia and China. Nothing was more striking than his appeal:! “The nearer we come to vanquishing' our enemies the more we become: conscious of differences among the victors. We must not let those differences divide us—blind its to our more j important, continuing interest in winning the war and 1 building peace.'’ ln-i dividual Britons, rightly or wrongly, have been known to criticise Americans, but there lias never been any suggestion that on our part this lias developed to the stage at which an organised campaign among political interests can be suspected.