WAR IN FAR EAST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25386, 18 November 1943, Page 5

WAR IN FAR EAST

ENCOURAGING PROSPECTS CONTACTS BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 17.. From now on there is likely to be a marked increase in the contacts between Delhi and Chungking, says the correspondent of The Times at general headquarters in India. One of the first achievements of the new South-East Asia Command has been the reinforcement of the operational links with China, which are now undoubtedly closer than at any time since the outbreak of the war. Lord Louis Mountbatten’s visit to General Chiang Kaishek made a deep impression not only on the latter’s entourage, but also among Americans. Almost overnight certain suspicion of Britain’s attitude -to-the-war in the Far East has been more or less dispelled. Lord Louis Mountbatten established excellent relations with the American generals with whom he, lives in the same house. The appointment General Stilwell will hold has not yet been announced, but it is common knowledge that he will be very near Lord Louis. General Carter de Wiart, who has been at Delhi for consultations, will go to Chungking, where it is expected his personality will appeal to the Chinese. General de Wiart is likely to divide his time between the two headquarters. A Chinese mission will probably be attached to Lord Louis Mountbatten's headquarters. Thus there is the most encouraging prospects of full co-opera-tion between the two commands in planning the future offensive. Ideas regarding the significance of the Burma Road are beginning to change. Most political thought maintains that this link with the outside world must be restored. The majority also possibly see the Burma Road, in spite of the comparatively small tonnage it carried, as a channel by which a stream of arms and consumer goods might flow to China, but there is a small group of thinkers which apparently sees the problem in terms of amphibious operations. This school says:- “Let us get back to the plains. Give us a port into which ships can come with a river behind.” The correspondent adds: “ One school of thought seems to look at the war against Japan in terms of equipping vast armies in China and more or less marching to Tokio. Another sees it as a series of amphibious operations along the coasts, culminating in great naval actions to crush Japanese sea-power. Probably the answer lies in a combination of the two, but the difficulties of both methods are enormous until overwhelming strength can be brought into action.”