THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24281, 23 May 1942, Page 6

THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC

The spokesmen of the British Government in the recent debate have been benevolent toward the claims of Australia and New Zealand, but not wholly reassuring. Using singularly unhappy phraseology for a lawyer of his eminence, Sir Stafford Cripps denied that the passing of Australia into the sphere of American help meant that she was left to the mercies—no doubt, tender mercies—of the United States. He would have used similar words of New Zealand. Australia, said Sir Stafford, would receive every sympathy and help that Britain could give her in these difficult times. No one doubts this for a moment. What gives concern is whether some British statesmen recognised the extent of Australia's and New Zealand's peril, especially when Mr. Churchill declared some time ago his doubt whether the Japanese intended to invade Australia. That doubt was resolved when enemy transports were turned back in the Coral Sea only by American and Australian naval strength. There is every reason why Japan should attempt the invasion of Australia and probably of New Zealand, if she intends to maintain her hold on the Malay Archipelago. Unless the Allies retain Australia and New Zealand, they cannot hope to recover the mastery of the Pacific and Indian Oceans; they cannot hope to defeat an enemy who at this juncture is probably a greater menace than Japan. The disturbing feature of Mr. Churchill's speech nearly a fortnight ago and Sir Stafford Cripps' speech published yesterday is that neither contained a reference to the vital importance of Australia and New Zealand. Events and tendencies in Europe must not allow Hitler's theatre of war to obscure the vital importance of the South-west Pacific.