JAPANESE MAY HIT AND RUN

Southland Times, Issue 24756, 29 May 1942, Page 5

JAPANESE MAY HIT AND RUN

Possible Attacks On New Zealand

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 28. “I just consider my job as a cog in the machine that will lick the Japs.” said Vice-Admiral Robert 1.Ghormley, Commander of the South Pacific area, at a Press conference today when Wellington journalists and a number of foreign correspondents were present. He faced a barrage of questions, but many of his answers were, to use his own expression, completely

off the record. Vice-Admiral Ghormley said he had not yet formally taken over his command, but hoped to do so now that his headquarters were fixed. He had discussed the whole situation as it affected New Zealand with the Prime Minister, the War Cabinet and the chiefs of the services and had been assured of their hearty co-operation. Refusing to discuss anything that impinged on strategical questions, he said: “I am not going to tell you what I think the Japs might do or might not do. If I said to you I think the Japs might do this or that, they might take it as an indication of the line of thought taken by our headquarters. I’ve got to be careful.” Touching on the question of possible Japanese attentions to New Zealand, he expressed the view that a possible line of their attack might be hit and run raids unless, or course, they used a tremendous naval force to clear the way. He pointed out that planes that came a long distance had to carry enough petrol and that meant a considerable sacrifice of their bomb loads. JAPANESE NAVAL STRENGTH “I cannot see effective bombing operations against New Zealand from land-based planes unless they take some of those islands of yours to the eastward,” he said. He expressed the view that Japanese naval strength was a good deal stronger than had been disclosed, as the building programme had been closely guarded. He thought, too, that the Japanese would resort to extended submarine warfare along the Pacific communication lines, but he just smiled and said nothing when asked if there had been any evidence so far of their activity in that direction. When asked about a second front, Vice-Admiral Ghormley said: “That is a political matter. Many people in Britain think a second front should be opened, but I do not feel competent to speak on what England feels about it. If it could be opened I agree it would make a tremendous difference to the existing war strategy.”