PATROLS BY U.S. NAVY

Southland Times, Issue 24422, 30 April 1941, Page 5

PATROLS BY U.S. NAVY

MR CASEY MEETS MR HULL

POSSIBLE EXTENSION TO AUSTRALIA

(Rec. 6.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, April 28. The Australian Minister, Mr R. G. Casey, conferred with the Secretai’y of State, Mr Cordell Hull, today and conveyed assurances of the unity within Australia and with Britain regarding the prosecution of the war. Mr Casey presented copies of statements by the Labour leader, Mr John Curtin, and the acting Prime Minister, Mr A. W. Fadden, at which Mr Hull expressed pleasure and satisfaction at these proofs of Australia’s unity in the war effort. Mr Casey and Mr Hull then discussed important and interesting longrange views about the Far East. Mr Casey, interviewed afterwards, said: “We explored over a fairly wide field the influence of current American policy as regards the Pacific area, in which Australia is greatly interested.” Mr Casey declined to give details or explain the meaning of this, but well informed circles believe the subject was patrols in the Pacific in the light of President Roosevelt’s statement. It is now considered most likely that the United States may shortly arrange neutrality patrols to Australia. Mr Casey said the admirable and clear pronouncements by Mr Curtin and Mr Fadden had entirely cleared away all misapprehensions aroused here last week by reports of disunity in Australia. “Australia is purported to be discontented over the British defeat in Greece. We would advise the Nazis not to pitch their hopes too high as this is ■the kind of democratic discontent which won the last war,” said .Mr James Kemper, president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, at its annual meeting. “Of course, one could hardly expect the followers of Nazism to understand that complete unity on fundamentals can exist alongside a sharp disagreement over specific plans, campaigns or events. The Nazi mind is not geared for such concepts. An Aussie with a good healthy grouch is just a normal Aussie functioning as he is accustomed to function.”

MINISTERS ANNOYED A Canberra message states that Cabinet Ministers continue to be concerned and annoyed at the mischievous propaganda disseminated overseas about Australia’s war effort and alleged labour unrest and political disunity. Mr Fadden reiterated that there was not an atom of truth in any of these suggestions. He announced that firm steps had been taken to deal with the reports sent outside Australia by irresponsible persons and that all that remained was to repeat the assurance given to the British and American people that Australia stood foursquare behind the British Government.

He said that the highly coloured stories of possible political changes in Australia and the untrue allegations of serious disagreements between the British and Australian Governments on the Grecian campaign sent abroad had threatened to have a considerable influence on United States opinion. Cablegrams had been received from Mr Casey expressing the fear that this form of propaganda would give a fillip to the isolationists. In addition it had caused some American newspapers to inquire whether there was any basis of truth in the stories cabled from Australia.

Cablegrams had also been received from the Australian Minister in Japan, Sir John Latham, complaining of damaging reports from Australia which had enabled the Japanese Press to play them up in large headlines.

PRESS CRITICIZED Every responsible person In Australia, added Mr Fadden, would feel concerned regarding the reaction which would necessarily follow the publication overseas of certain comment on the war which had appeared in a section of the Sydney Press recently—he exempted The Sydney Morning Herald—comment which in no sense reflected Australian opinion and which would have a most prejudicial effect on the Empire’s war effort. He was not worried in the least by what Berlin thought about Australia’s war effort, but he was gravely concerned about what the people in other parts of the British Empire and America thought. Accordingly, the Government was taking action against certain newspapers and persons responsible for the dissemination of false reports and sneculation with a view to preventing their repetition.