ANSWERS QUESTIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 204, 30 August 1943, Page 4

ANSWERS QUESTIONS

“OUR ELEANOR” INTERVIEWED (P.A.) Wellington, Aug. 29. Display big al! the personal charm and keen insight into world problems and those facing her own country for wliich she is renowned, Mrs. Roosevelt at her Press conference at Government House freely answerwl ques- ■ Itions put her by newspapermen. Asked what was her impression of the morale of the American troops she had come into contact with on the cross-Pacific trip, she said that in common with all Americans engaged in the war, they had not been anxious for war but since there had been nothing else for it they intended to see it through “They hope it will be seen through to the end where they can say. with the rest of the peoples of the United Nations what the future of the world will be,” she added. She had come across quite a lot of American troops on her present journey. The President particularly wished that she should make contact with as many of them as possible, and although a large proportion had not seen any fighting the importance of their job in making supplies easier and safer was fully appreciated. At. one or two of the islands at which the plane touched she was told she was the first woman the Americans stationed there had seen for ten months. Mrs. Roosevelt emphasised that the attention of the United States was focussed primarily on winning the ■war and thinking in terms of more and more production to that end. She had learnt from her visit to Great Britain that there was a great difference between the outlook of tne people actually in the war zone and that of the people who were safe. On her return she tried to point out that difference and to convince the people there of the real necessity for their doing without things which they could not see any reason they should do without. On Mr. Churchill’s present visit to America, said Mrs. Roosevelt, she had seen him for two days and he looked more buoyant than ever before. She put it down to the turning of the tide, although, she added by way of qualification, it was appreciated that there was still a lot to be done. As evidence of the break in the German morzl n she said, Mr. Churchill had quoted e/iracts from a number of uncensored letters taken from German prisoners in Tunisia. “He prepared us for them by saying they were terrible.” she remarked, “but I noticed that he seemed to enjoy reading them.” In one of the letters a German mother, writing to her son. said one important thing was to remain alive and she hoped that Africa would not be another Stalingrad, where the m n n of the German army went hungry, and if the recipient hed done all he I could he would surrender so that she con’d see him again. I Every one of the letters that Mr. I Churchill read was despondent in 'ton''. I Mrs. Roosevelt was Questioned on the question of women workers retaining some of the jobs usu nl ly 'carried out by men and she replied that the solution would largely be