THE WAR CABINET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24827, 29 January 1942, Page 5

THE WAR CABINET

DIRECTION OF POLICY VOICE FOR DOMINIONS REQUEST AGREED TO RUGBY, Jan. 27. " I have told the story of the last few months, and the House will see from it how much our resources have been strained, by what a small margin and what strokes of fortune for which we claim no credit we have survived so far," said Mr Churchill. "Where should we have been if we had yielded to the clamour so loud some months ago that we should invade France or the Low Countries? " Mr Churchill continued: "After two years and a-half fighting we have only just managed to keep our heads above water. In spite of all the painful infirmities, complacency, and lack of organising power which are largely attributed to us, we are beginning to see the way through.

"It looks as if we are in for a very bad time, but, provided we all stand together and use the utmost strength, it looks also more than it ever did before as if we are going to win.

" While facing Germany and Italy we never had sufficient arms to provide effectively for the defence of the Far East. My whole argument so far has led up to that point. It has been the policy of Cabinet almost at all costs to avoid disagreement with Japan unless we were sure the United States came in. We had to stoop to the closing of the Burma road for some months. I remember some of our critics were very angry about it. but we had to do it. There has never been a time when Britain or the British Empire single-handed could fight Germany and Italy, or could wage the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the Battle of the Middle East, and at the same time stand prepared to defend Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and generally the Far East, against the impact of a vast military empire like Japan, with more than 70 mobile divisions, the third navy in the world, and a great air force, and there are in all 80,000,000 or 90,000,000 of warlike Japanese." Dealing with the participation of the dominions in the conduct of the war, Mr Churchill said: "We have always l»een ready to form an Imperial War Cabinet containing the Prime Ministers of the four dominions. Whenever any of them come here they have taken seats at our table." After referring to the valuable visits of Mr Mackenzie King, Mr Fraser. and Mr Menzies, and the mission of Sir Earle Page, Mr Churchill said: "The Australian Government has now asked specifically that an accredited representative of the Commonwealth should have the right to ke heard in the War Cabinet in the formulation and direption of policy. We have, of course, agreed to this. New Zealand has felt bound to ask for similar representation, and the same facilities will, of course, be available for Canada and South Africa. The presence at the Cabinet table of dominion representatives not empowered to take decisions, but only representatives of their Governments, evidently raises some serious problems, but none, 1 trust, which cannot be-got over." The Munitions Output

The Prime Minister said our munitions output was gigantic, and had for some time been very large indeed. "It is going up by leaps and bounds in a most remarkable manner," he added. "In 1940 we produced more than double the munitions and equipment of the United States, which was arming heavily. In the last six months we have been producing more than twice as many far more complicated guns every month as in the peak of the last war, and the curve is rising. Tank production has doubled in the last six months. Small arms production is more than twice what it was six months ago. "Nevertheless." said Mr Churchill, "the amount of war material for the defence of the Far East has been ultimately dependent on transport. Every shipment we could draw away from our vital supplies, every escort we could divert from the Battle of the Atlantic, has been used to the utmost capacity for embarking troops, tanks, and munitions from this island. Every aircraft has not only been moved by sea, but by every road—some very costly and dangerous—to the Eastern battlefield.

"Sixty thousand men are concentrated at Singapore, but priority in modern anti-aircraft guns and artillery was accorded to the Nile Valley. For this decision in its broadest tragic aspect and also diplomatic policy, I take the fullest personal responsibility. Why should I be called upon to pick out scapegoats and throw the blame on generals, airmen, sailors —drive away loyal, trusted colleagues, and submit to the clamour of certain sections of the British and Australian press?" Mr Churchill then dealt trenchantly with various criticism of the composition of the Cabinet and individual Ministers, and explained how Mr Duff Cooper's position had been made obsolete by General Wavell's appointment.

Irrational Acts "If large masses of troops and equipment had been kept spread over the Far East for months we should have failed in our engagements to Russia and lost the Battle of Cyrenaica—which we have not won yet—and might now have been fighting defensively well inside the Egyptian frontier. It seemed utterly irrational to suppose that the Japanese, having thrown away the opportunity of attacking us in the autumn of 1940, when we were much weaker and all alone, should at this period plunge into a desperate struggle against the combined forces of the Empire and the United States. Nevertheless, nations, like individuals, commit irrational acts. As time went on we had the greater assurance that if Japan ran amok_ we would not find ourselves alone. We reinforced Singaport to a considerable extent and Hongkong to an extent which we were advised would be sufficient to hold the actual island for a long time. " Our hopes, however, had been dashed by the passing of naval superiority in the Pacific to Japan. It will remain in their hands long enough for Japan to inflict many heavy, painful losses upon all nations with possessions in the Far East." Mr Churchill- pointed out that, however well possessions were garrisoned, the Power with command of the sea could go round to each, destroying and capturing the garrisons, ravaging and pillaging, and pass on to the next. These conditions would be reversed when the balance of sea and air power changed. "We should not allow ourselves to be rattled at this or that place being captured," he said, " because once the ultimate power of the united nations has been brought to bear the opposite process will come into the plan, and we will move forward remorselessly to the final conclusion, provided we persevere, provided we fight with the utmost vigour and tenacity, and. above all, provided we remain united."

EMPIRE WAR CABINET DANGER OF DIVIDED ACTION (Rec. 8.45 p.m.) OTTAWA. Jan. 27. The United Press says that informed quarters express the opinion that the Empire War Cabinet will lead to serious possibilities of divided action.