The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-07-17
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MEDITERRANEAN MIX-UP
Washington, d. C.

sui Oll al P" oNSAA -
transfer to India, as told in diplo-
matte dispatches, is that Wavell had
been quarreling with Churchill and
had opposed political-military moves
such as the campaign in Greece and
Crete and the expedition to Solum.
More important from the Amer
lean point of view, Wavell had IA
vored the evacuation of all British
forces from the entire Mediter-
ranean area. And u. S. military ex-
perts agreed with HMM fact,
urged it.
So although in a sense General
Wavell is being denoted, yet in 9TH
er respects he will be in position
to command British forces from an
area to which he had urged that
British forces retreat.
For some time General WaveD
had contended that Britain'S posi-
ton in the Mediterranean was in
defensible. The British force of only
400, ZOO men in the Near East faced
a combined Axis total twice as
strong-400, 900 Germans and Italians
in Libya, plus 100000 Nazis in
Greece, Bulgaria and Rumania.
The latter figure has been partially
diminished by transfers to Russia;
but Waven argued that the Nazi-
Fascist armies could concentrate
attack in one place while British
troops had to spread out over far
flung line from Libya to Syria and
Iraq. Therefore he disagreed with
Churchill on all military moves
which had a political motive.
U. S. Worried Over Atlantic.
U. S. military and naval strate-
gists sided with Wavell, were strong
for the idea of a complete British
withdrawal from the Mediterranean.
The strategy behind this was two
fold:
/. The British have lost 40 per
cent of their original Mediterranean
fleet. The losses at Crete were
much worse than officially admitted,
and even in the Syrian campaign
naval losses were considerable.
Therefore, American naval men,
facing the probability of having to
help the British fleet in the Atlantic,
did not want the fleet further weak
ened.
2. The United States is more in
terested in what happens on the
bulge of Africa around Dakar Top
posite BraziD than it is in the Medi-
terranean.
To this end, both General Wavell
and U. S. strategists favored the idea
of withdrawing British forces from
the Mediterranean entirely and es-
tablishing a new line of defense
across the very center of Africa
from Port Sudan on the Red sea to
Freetown on the Atlantic ocean.
This line of defense meant that
about 800 miles of the hottest des-
ert in the world would be between
the Nazis and the British lines.
Over such a desert it is difficult for
tanks to operate without heating up;
also it is difficult for the average
bomber to carry a load over such
distances. So it was expected that
the Nazis would exhaust themselves
in the deep, hot deserts of Africa.
Part of the plan contemplated
highway straight across equatorial
Africa from Freetown and later
from Dakar to Port Sudan.
Churchill Says No.
However, Churchill was fatty op-
posed. So were many other British
leaders. They felt that the shock
of withdrawal from the Mediterran-
can, traditional sphere of British in
fiuence, and from Suez which had
been identified with the British en-
pire for years, would be too much
for the British public.
This debate occurred before the
Nazi attack on Russia and before
the British march into Syria. But
after the slowness of Wavelps sue
cess in Syria, all these factors Gull
minated in his transfer to India.
There Waven can concentrate on
defense of the most important part
of the empire-if the Nazis creep
up on the Indian border in South
Russia. Also, he will not be in the
Mediterranean, for the defense of
which he had no great enthusiasm.
MERRY-GO-ROUND
It was a breathless day in Wash
ington. The only breeze was kicked
up by the little subway car run
ming between the senate office build
ing and the Capitol. Passenger Hat
tie Caraway, senator from Arkan-
sas, clutched at her flying strands
of hair.
Curly-haired Sen. Berkeley Bunk
er of Nevada, who succeeded to the
seat of the late Key Pittman, never
misses a senate session and is as
siduously studying parliamentary
procedure. Vice President Wallace
has called him to preside during his
absence more than any other SEN
ator.
United Service Organizations have
had some big gifts, but none more
touching than the savings brought
in by one Harry Katz, who emptied
on the desk 512 pennies, A nickels,
eight dimes, and one quarter.
Displayed in the department of
agriculture lobby are four practical
pamphlets: "Cockroaches and Their
Control" 'Bedbugs: Causes and
Cures" House Ants" and ''How to
Control Fleas."
The President has on his desk a
new leather briefcase, fastened Sc
curely at one end with a steel pad