PACIFIC WAR

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22473, 7 January 1943, Page 3

PACIFIC WAR

Alarming News

Strong Japanese Forces In Timor By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright SYDNEY, January 6. Alarming news of threatening Japanese activity has reached Australia, also reports of a mass concentration of Japanese ships, men and equipment in the near North. Official quarters regard the development as the worst since the Japanese landing at Buna. The gravity with which the Government views the latest news is illustrated by the fact that the Prime Minister (Mr J. Curtin) had a special conference yesterday afternoon with senior members of the Australian naval staff. All the leading Australian papers today feature articles by their political correspondents on the developments in the South-west Pacific area, and the above extract from the “Sydney Daily Telegraph” illustrates the general tone of these articles, which may be accepted as reflecting the official Government view of the Pacific war situation.

“It is considered that the Allies will be lucky if they can cling to the footholds they gained in the Solomons and to the territories they captured in New Guinea,” adds the “Telegraph.” “It will take all our efforts to prevent the Japanese defensive arc becoming an offensive arc creeping toward the Australian mainland.”

All the papers list the following recent happenings as evidence of the enemy’s intention to make big moves in this theatre, either for offensive purposes or to consolidate their present holdings: (1) Huge concentration of enemy shipping at Rabaul and other harbours in New Britain. (2) Frantic haste to get into commission a great bomber aerodrome at Munda, New Georgia, as well as other intense activities in the building of aerodromes throughout Japanese-occupied islands. (3) Intensification of enemy activities in Portuguese Timor. (4) Desperate enemy determination to maintain footholds in Northern New Guinea. (5) Enemy use in waters near Australia of reconnaissance planes flown from submarines.

Reconnaissance in Queensland

Japanese reconnaissance planes operating over the Bowen-Mackay area, in Northern Queensland, are believed to have been trying to obtain information about Australian reinforcements for the New Guinea area, perhaps as a preliminary to an offensive launched against the Australia - Port Moresby supply line. “A study of the map shows that the Japanese preparations are along the line from the Solomons to Timor, which they obviously hope to make impregnable,” says the “Telegraph.” Enemy preparations on a large scale and widely distributed, which have been reported by Allied reconnaissance, are regarded officially as evidence that Japan intends either to launch an offensive or to dig in so effectively as to repel any more Allied advances.”

The steady unfolding of events s’.'T/s that Japan is determined to build her maximum strength in the South-west Pacific, says the “Sydney Morning Herald’s” political correspondent, who says that the situation is believed to have been occupying the attention of Mr Curtin for several weeks.

Suggestions overseas that Mr Curtin or any other representative Australian is not taking the objective view of the grand strategy is seeking diversion of extra equipment to the South-west Pacific theatre at the present stage of the war are discounted by informed observers as more plausible than accurate, declarese a writer in the “Herald.” “The real position,” he says, “is that the minimum diversion of equipment now—the greatest number of extra planes so far mentioned is 500— would produce the maximum result tn restoring to the United Nations the command of the areas from which alone it will be possible to plan the recapture of rubber and tin areas whose control may be of vital global significance in the later stages of a long war.”

Ominous Concentration

All the papers describe the Japanese concentration of shipping in the Rabaul area as “one of the most ojninous of the Pacific war.” Some suggest that the Japanese preparations in Timor are for offensive purposes, while others acknowledge the possibility that the island is being developed as a bastion against Allied attempts to launch an offensive through the northeastern sector of the South-west Pacific area.

“These developments are believed in Federal circles to be the reason behind the disclosure by Mr Curtin last week that Australia had repeatedly urged the leaders of the United Nations to provide sufficient urgently-needed equipment for an Allied offensive against the enemy,” says the “Daily Telegraph.” “It looks as if their disregard of his advice has allowed the enemy to steal a march on us and that supplies will be only sufficient to counter any offensive the Japanese may launch themselves.”

Should Visit Washington

“The time has come when Mr Curtin can serve his country best by a visit to Washington.” The “Sydney Sun” to-day offers this suggestion in an editorial commenting on “the necessities of Pacific strategy in relation to the global war.” Now that the Australian Government has authority to employ the militia throughout the South-west Pacific area, the paper says there is no pressing business to prevent Mr Curtin paying a brief visit to President Roosevelt. “More can be done in an afternoon’s call than in three months’ correspondence,” declares the “Sun.” “The urgency of such a visit is obvious, and if the Prime Minister could be accompanied by General MacArthur to give the strategic position to Washington as only the general commanding on the spot can do, there would be every chance of modification of the strategy of delay which is likely to cost the Allies so dear in time, blood and equipment,” said the paper. Australian observers in the United States are gravely concerned that America is being given over-optimistic war news from the Pacific. Mr Curtin’s recent plea for increased supplies for this theatre did not receive editorial comment in any major newspaper in the United States. Also urging that Mr Curtin should visit Washington to lay the facts of the Pacific situation before the Allied High Command, the “Sydney Sun’s” special representative. there to-day writes: “All the Allied nations have big delegations, military and political, at Washington, and the clamour there is terrific. Tn this headachy atmosphere long distance statements about what the United States’ policy ought to be are not likely to be cheerfully received, but undoubtedly Mr Curtin himself would receive an attentive hearing, and could bring arguments to bear on matters vital to the safety of Australia and the Allied nations.” Complacency Encouraged The tendency in some quarters of the United States to “stress good news stories rather than the factual analysis of the all-over strategic position,” has been deplored by the American War Information Chief, Mr Elmer Davis, and the great prominence given the recent American bombing of Wake Island was cited by the newspaper “P M” as an example of a minor event being given magnified importance, thus encouraging complacency in the minds of Americans. “This natural human desire to be lulled by good news does not. of course, extend to the White House or the Service Department, where cold considerations of strategy are paramount.” declares the Washington correspondent of the “Melbourne Herald." “Nevertheless it would be an unbalanced picture of the American scene if public opinion, with its immense effect on Congress, were omitted," but neither in America nor Australia has there been any press support for Admiral Halsey's prediction of complete I

and absolute defeat for the Axis Powers this year. The “New York World Telegram” says: “That is good propaganda for our enemies at whom it is aimed, but Americans should not take him too literally. The only way to hasten victory is to go all out now, determined to fight as long as it takes—one year, two or 10. Admiral Halsey and General MacArthur are making slow progress against Japan's most distant outposts, and the reason is clear. We are fighting Japan with one hand or less because we are very busy elsewhere for the moment.” In Australia the “Sydney Morning Herald” commented: “Admiral Halsey’s breezy predictions must be taken with more than a grain of sea salt. His verbal broadside at Japan will have to be succeeded by many hard and bitter battles before her stranglehold on the Pacific is broken." U.S. White Book The Japanese did their diplomatic utmost to so manoeuvre the peace discussions between Japan and America that President Roosevelt would have been in the hands of the Japanese Navy when Pearl Harbour was attacked. The “New York Post” says that tins was revealed by the State Department’s White Book. The Japanese urged that President Roosevelt and Prince Konoye (then Premier of Japan) should have a frank exchange of views aboard a Japanese warship in the Pacific. The Secretary of State (Mr Cordell Hull) received the suggestion coolly, although the meeting between Mr Churchill and Mr Roosevelt in the Atlantic made the proposal technically innocent enough. Mr Joseph Grew (then United States Minister to Tokio) later told Mr Hull that Prince Konoye favoured a meeting, to which he was prepared to send a full Admiral and Ihe Army Vire-Chiel of Staff. The White Book does not reveal whether Mr Hull suspected treachery, but it says that the fact that the military element, responsible for Japanese aggression, would have be°n I heavily represented was a factor in the Government's disapproval. The Japanese. nevertheless, continued to urge a mpptine - throughout September.