N.Z. FORCES

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1942, Page 5

N.Z. FORCES

Now Under MacArthur (Rec. 12.40.) WASHINGTON, Mar. 17. President Roosevelt informed a press conference that General MacArthur would command all of the United Nations in the area east of Singapore. This area obviously includes New Zealand. Mr Roosevelt gave a warning that Axis propagandists would picture General MacArthur’s appointment as an abandonment of the Philippines. He added: “I know that every man and woman /in the United States admires, with me, General MacArthur's determination to fight to a finish with his men in the Philippines. Furthermore, every man and woman is in agreement that all important decisions must be made with a view to the successful termination of the war. I am sure that every American, if faced with the question as to where General MacArthur could best serve his country, could come only one answer.