ANZAC AREA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 60, 12 March 1942, Page 5

ANZAC AREA

ALLIED OPERATIONS DISCUSSION IN AUSTRALIA COMMON PLAN EVOLVED (P.A.) Auckland, March 11. A mission of the utmost importance'to New Zealand and to the conduct of Allied operations < in the Anzac area of the Pacific ( zone has been completed by the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, and another member j of the War Cabinet, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, who are in Auckland after a fortnight’s visit to Australia. During their absence they have held continuous consultations with the Australian War Cabinet, the Commonwealth War Advisory Council (which includes members of the Opposition), and with the Chiefs ol Staff of the two countries. They also enjoyed the advantage of having hail j close discussions with American rep- , resentatives. The results of the visi’ |- have to go before the British and r United States Government lor co:i ' < sideration. In a joint interview. Messrs. Sulli- t van and Coates said t-iey had been | greatly heartened by the immediate outcome of their mission “The important matters before us have gone as far as words can take them,” said Mr. Coates. “Now all that remains is action.” “We took to Australia,” said Mr. Sullivan, “certain definite proposals which represented the views of the New Zealand War Cabinet. They concerned the broad principles and details for the defence of New Zea- i land and Australia and the various j areas for which the two countries ( are responsible. We wished to arriw? t at a common plan and a definite one ( and as a result of the K i sponse of i Australia we have returned feeling that this has been achieved. j “Having regard for the Australian , historical outlook the ideas we took J with us were of a type which was < something a little different from | those previously held in lhe Com < monwealth, ideas as to the conduct t of the war. The consultations boyar. ; with fairly wide discussions over | varying viewpoints first with the War , Cabinet and then with the Advbory < War Council. We put. forward to th.? < Prime Minister and his colleagues our ] view of the necessity of building a common plan to which both countries could work on land, at sea and in the air. The next, stage was to got out plans from the respective • Chiefs of Staff for the defence in depth of both countries, acting first on the prin- . ciple of building up supply bases and J then of reaching a point where wu ■ can take the offensive.” ( “Taken into consideration.” said j Mr. Coates, “were all matters relat- ‘ ing to the general strategic lay-out The whole basis of all consultations ' was the question of arriving at a common plan of strategy for our two 1 countries and for the areas in which * both are concerned. We took the [ consultations to the stage where the ' scheme was accepted in its genera! principles. It nbw has to go Io Mr. Churchill and Mr. Roosevelt ami their colleagues. “There were two sions,” he said. “One was with the Cabinet and the Advisory War Council and the other was with lhe Chiefs of Staff, and in the end each was ( dovetailed into one integral whole ( and the proposals in substance, which were worked out by each and in re- ] lationship with one another, were ac- < cepted. Mr. Sullivan and I were fortunate in being able to anproach the ] consultations witthe advantage of having held disrmCmis v. i.h tin , American representatives. Thes*- 1 . gentlemen were in general agreement ( with th? lines which we pursued an I . which they regarded as being not only sound and right but also impera- ; five and urgent." “We also held discussions on supply • matters related to strategical aspects,” said Mr. Sullivan, “and assuming that the recommendatior ; regarding strategy meet with the ap- < proval of the British and United ( States authorities, a procedure has ; been worked out that offers en- : couraging possibilities so far as New . Zealand and Australia are concerned. > This means that certain bases of i supply procedure have been agree I I to against a general background of the major question of strategy. Despite the differences of opinion to start with, the consultations held pro- : gressed amicably to a point where . we were able to return to Now Zea-jl land confident in our feeling that as < a result our two countries will worn ; together in all points to one common h end. “We have a very deep feeling ' of gratitude to the Australians I for the way in which they responded to our proposals and did everything they could to arrive at the very satisfactory conclusion which has been reached. In spite of the difficult times in which we are all working we have come back very encouraged about the future.” PARLIAMENT TO MEET SESSION OPENS ON TUESDAY (P.A.) Wellington, March 11. Parliament will meet at 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday for a short session io enable members to consider the latest developments in the war situation. This was announced to-night by the Prime Minister, the Hun. P. Fraser, who added that he could not say ai present how long the sitting would last, though he expected it would not be more than a lew days. A brief secret debate would be necessary. More than ordinary interest is attached to the sitting because Mr. Fraser has stated that an opportunit.. will be given for discussion in open session of various aspects of the war, particularly as it is developing in the Pacific. Within the limitation that not all the facts can be debated in open sesison, for security reasons, it is proposed to give an opportunity for as frank a discussion as possible. This being so, it is unlikely that proceedings can be broadcast. The public galleries will be open, however, during the op?n discussion.