AUSTRALIA AND U.S.A.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 94, 21 April 1944, Page 5

AUSTRALIA AND U.S.A.

INTER-DEPENDENCE MR. CURTIN REPLIES TO AMERICAN QUERIES STRATEGY, CENSORSHIP AND CONDUCT OF THE WAR

<By TelPtfrayh —l’resa Association—Copyright) Reed. 7 p.m. San Francisco, April 19. “Australia is as vital to America as a base in winning the war against the Japanese as America is vital to Australia in defending Australia,” said the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Curtin, addressing a Press conference. “The people of Australia are everlastingly grateful to the Americans for their help,” he said. “We look to uninterrupted friendship with America and other Powers to set' that peace will not again be disturbed by an aggressor. This peace (,-an only be secured if no regions are left insecure. Australians will continue to fit into any military plans for troops anywhere.” Mr. Curtin said the purpose of his visit to England is to have a general discusion on Empire problems. Asked if there was any dissatisfaction in Australia with England, Mr. Curtin replied: “No, but time does not stand still. We must keep abreast of affairs and not be behind as we were in 1939.” Mr. Curtin said he had not any blueprint for the future, but he felt certain that there was no way of escaping general post-war difficulties. Therefore, close co-operation between Australia and other countries was the only way to make the difficulties as light as possible. Asked his views on Pacific mandates. Mr. Curtin said it was impos-

ible to say that any island or atoll aptured by any particular battalion

or group of soldiers belonged to any particular country. The whole disposition of the forces of the Allies was a matter for military strategy. “I am sure there is no problem concerning mandates that the Allies cannot adjust satisfactorily,” he said. He wolud not hazard a guess as to how long the Pacific war would last, but he felt 1944 was a year in which victory would be brought much.closer. He denied that General MacArthur’s communiques were over-optimistic and said the communiques issued daily were justified by total results. Mr. Curtin faced a barrage of questions from American correspondents censorship. He said: “My own view is that censorship should never be used to censor political opinions, and should never be used in relation to a civil order, other than that made necessary by security. By security. I mean information that could be useful to the enemy, or information that is, in* its nature, false, and could cause an unjust construction to be reached in the absence of national ability to tell the full facts.” Replying to many questions concerning Australian army reduction, Mr. Curtin said the Australian armed forces totalled 800,000 out of 2,400,000 men of military age. The 20,000 reduction sanctioned by General MacArthur extended as far back as October, and was a step absolutely essential to carry out auxiliary services to the army.

He added that the question of sufficient supplies reaching Australia depended on global strategy. “There will never be sufficient supplies anywhere until the Axis is completely defeated,” he said.