EISENHOWER ON WAR

Grey River Argus, 20 June 1945, Page 5

EISENHOWER ON WAR

GREAT WELCOME Return to Washington [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Rec. 10.20) WASHINGTON, June 18. General Eisenhower, on his arrival from Europe by air, had an enthusiastic reception here. He told a press conference that the German General Staff must be destroyed'. That staff, since 1806, had been using the political leaders who came along merely to implement their ideas. All the Russians he had contacted were of the same opinion. He was opposed to fraternisation with the German adults until Nazism was cut out of Germany and destroyed, especially in the cities. America would have to do something about the threat of real starvation in Europe. He said he would like to put his oar into the Pacific war, but he had no part there except as a civilian. He reviewed the European war from D. Day until the Germans surrendered’. He drew a roar of laughter from two hundred newspapermen when he was asked: “Were you ever worried about the outcome of the Bulge Battle?” and he replied: “You bet—three weeks later, when we got the American newspapers.” He added that the Bulge fighting was by no means the hardest of the war. German losses were two and a-half times those of the Americans. He said that if the Allies had been four months later with their offensive the German defeat would have been a harder problem, due to a tremendous development of the V-weapons. General Eisenhower disclosed that he made a wager on the end of the war in October, 1943. He was wrong by four months. He had considered the shooting would be over by January 1, 1945. General Eisenhower with 55 other officials was received by General Marshall and driven through lanes ot cheering people to Congress. He came over by the huge transport that flew Mr Roosevelt to Yalta and escorted by fighters and bombers. He landed at the National Airport. A kiss from his wife and a hand-shake from General Marshall raised the curtain on the biggest and most enthusiastic reception accorded a conquering heio in Washington. “It has been a long time, darling,” he said, as he fondly embraced his wife. . General Eisenhower, at his press conference said: “I would like to put in a boost for a maximum effort against Japan, strictly because of my experience. When you apply your maximum effort, your losses are reduced to the minimum. If you put in one regiment to attack a welldefended battalion, you are going to have serious losses, but when you apply overwhelming force, your losses are at least negligible.”

General Eisenhower, answering a question as to whether he was convinced Hitler is dead', said: “I was at first I thought the evidence quite clear. But when I actually got to talk to my Russian friends, I found that they were not convinced. I found Hitler’s death was, erroneously reported from Berlin. The only thing I am sure of is that, if Hitler is ndt dead, he must be leading a terrible life for a man.”