COLD REALISM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1942, Page 5

COLD REALISM

OUTLOOK OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ON PACIFIC WAR ISSUES. MR CURTIN APPROVES UNITY PLANS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) CANBERRA, January 5. The Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, said that under the new plans for concerted Pacific strategy United States naval units would operate in the Australian station. Britain, the United States, the Netherlands East Indies, and Australia were now fighting and working to a common plan, and common execution of that plan was assured.

“The Australian people will be gratified and greatly heartened by this announcement,” said Mr Curtin. “It is historic and momentous. It affects our Commonwealth as no previous alignment of great Powers has ever done. It represents the policy of concerted Pacific strategy which the Australian Government has advocated, and amply justifies all that has been said as part of that advocacy.”

Stern duty, he said, made plain speech imperative. Unlike those who refused to regard the war in the Pacific in its proper perspective, the Australian Government judged the issues involved with cold realism, and based its conception of what had to be done on the inescapable fact that this was a new war —the Pacific war. Australia had now obtained the closest association and co-operation with America. The human and material assets of the United States, co-related with Australia’s strategic position, would play a vitally important part in the plans which the Allied land and naval commanders would put into effect.