U.S. PRESS COMMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 11 May 1942, Page 5

U.S. PRESS COMMENT

A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT THREAT TO ENEMY’S COMMUNICATION LINES New York, May 9. The Secretary of State, Mr Cordell Hull, told a Press conference in Washington to-day: “It is difficult to refrain from expressions equal to the magnitude of the victory which is reported from the Coral Sea, but I cannot make a fuller statement till all the facts are received.” In contrast to gloomy comment which was made yesterday on the Coral Sea battle. Mr Fletcher Pratt, in the “New York Post,” says to-day: “To-day things look so good they could not look better. This is a victory. It should be realised, however, that it may be a temporary victory, and the Japanese may return reinforced. This has been their method throughout the war. They are extraordinarily persistent, and they also have enough forces to make the next blow harder.” Most newspapers somewhat disregard General MacArthur’s warning against too great optimism. Bannerline headings, such as “Jap Fleet Smashed in Great Victory” cross front pages. A commentator in the New York “World-Telegram” says: “The battle will probably decide the fate of the South Pacific. Moreover, it will affect naval strategy and building I everywhere. Other commentators discussing the American victory describe it as one of the major achievements of the war in the Pacific since it cuts sharply into the enemy forces, threatening their lines of communication to Australia. Starting in the Solomons, the battle apparently extended over 192.000 square miles of water. It is believed the action may affect Japanese operations in the Indian Ocean by forcing a new disposition of the enemy forces. MAIN FLEETS NOT ENGAGED Commenting on the Battle of the Coral Sea, Mr Hanson Baldwin, military correspondent of the “New York Times,” writes: “A clear picture of the battle is not yet available, but, judging from the fragmentary reports, the action was not fought between the main bodies of the opposing fleets but between large task forces. The battle seems to be a prelude to greater actions, since the official comment stresses that there is no ground for hope that the strength of the Japanese fleets has been broken. “Japan will probably reinforce her naval units in the Coral Sea. One characteristic of the Japanese is their tenacity. They will keep on trying till they win or die; for them there is no middle ground. “In the meantime the Japanese are still fighting in Burma and southern China and are also menacing India. With typical Hitlerian technique, they are threatening everywhere and thus masking their real intentions, but the naval battle in the coral Sea may soon force them to show their hand. “In Europe Hitler still marks time as the ground dries on the Eastern Front, but this is indivisible war, and what happens in Russia is closely linked to what is happening in the South-Western Pacific. The wrecks of the Japanese ships littering the waters of the Coral Sea may typify the wreckage also of Hitler’s hopes.”—P.A.