Evening star., 1942-03-14
America Wide Open
# japanese Conquer
Australia, Curtin Says
Prime Minister Pleads
For Close Cooperation
In Broadcast to u. S.
By the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
CANBERRA, Australia, March
IA grave warning that the
Americas would be wide open"
If Japan conquers Australia and
a plea for the closest cc-opera-
ton with Australia were broad
cast directly to the people of the
United States today by Prime
Minister Curtin, leader of his
country's fight for life against
Japan.
Australia is the last bastion be-
tween the West Coast of America
and the Japanese-if Australia goes,
the Americas are wide open," he
declared.
Lashing at speculation that the
japanese might pass up Australia
and that they could be met and
routed in India, he asserted:
II say to you that saving Aus
tralia Is saving Americas West
Coast. If you believe anything to
the contrary you delude yourselves"
Cruiser and Sloop Lost.
Before speaking to his comrades
In this war" in the United States,
the Prime Minister announced that
Australia presumably had suffered
another severe naval reverse-the
apparent loss of the 6,980-ton cruiser
Perth, heroine of numerous battles
In the Near East, and the 1,06O-ton
sloop Yarra, with their 1893 men.
The ships fought successfully and
without damage in the battles of the
Java Sea, Mr.. Curtain said, but
they have not been reported since
leaving Java for home and they are
presumed to have been sunk.
1t was possible that some of the
682 men on the Perth and Isl on
the Yarra had reached land, navy
sources said.
(The Japanese claimed March
8 that the Perth and her sister
ship, the Hobart, were among %
United Nations warships sunk of
Java on the week end of March -
Jap Invasion Moves Continue.
The sinking Of the Perth and the
Yarra would bring Australa's naval
losses since the start of the war to
two cruisers, two sloops and one
destroyer.
The Perth, damaged by German
bombs in the British evacuation of
Crete last year, was prominent in
the battle Of Matapan against the
Italian fleet and in a dozen forays
around Greece and Crete. The
Yarra left Australia in August, 1910.
She won fame last october when
she and a merchant cruiser cap
tured seven Axis ships in the Persian
Gulf.
Japan, meanwhile, continued her
invasion moves toward Australia.
Japanese Zero (navy) fighters at
tackled Port Moresby, New Guinea,
with machine guns, while other jap
anese planes attacked a point so
miles to the west Of the port, near
the Yule Island mission, 1t was an
nounced.
The London Daily Express
correspondent with the Allied
forces in Australia estimated that
$50 900 japanese were assembling
for an invasion attempt, but said
tits believed the Japanese would
need vastly larger forces to be
reasonably assured of success.")
The Australians, for their part, an
nounced their planes heavily dam
aged grounded Japanese planes in a
raid Thursday on a Japanese air.
drome at Rabaul, New Britain.
Look to U. S. for Counsel.
Mr.. Curtin in his broadcast said
Australians had looked to America
for counsel and advice"
TT is a matter of some regret to
u.s." he continued, that even now,
after 95 days Of Japan's staggering
advance south and ever south, we
have, not obtained first hand contact
with America.
Therefore, we propose sending to
you our minister for external affairs,
DR.. H. v. Evatt, who is no stranger
to your country, so we may benefit
from his discussions with your au-
thorities.
"Evatt will not go to you as a
mendicant =. he will go to tell you
that we are fighting mad and that
our people have a government that
Is growing with orders and not
weakened suggestions -"
Mr.. Evatt, also attorney general,
was chosen recently to go to WASH
ington after Australian and New
Zealand officials conferred on war
strategy.
Not "Belittling" Britain.
Mr.. Curtin made it clear he was
not 'belittling" the mother coun-
try-Britain-in looking to the
United States for leadership in the
Pacific. He pointed out that Britain
has a paramount obligation to sup
ply all possible help to Russia and
she cannot at the same time go all
out in the Pacific. Thus q RESPONSE
bility falls on Australians, he de-
clared.
"I pledge you my word: We will
not fail" he said. you, as I have
said, must be our leader; we will
pull knee to knee with you for every
ounce of our weight"
Former Prime Minister Robert G.
Menzies, in a nationwide broad
cast, said Japan would give "her
quickest aid" to Germany "by NOV
ing west and north into the Indian
Ocean, Burma, India, China and
Manchuria while immobilizing and
tsolating Australia
He said there could be little doubt
that Newcastle and such places"
would be sporadically and severely
bombed.
But" he continued, IT still think
II Germany and japan are to finish
us this year-and they must If they
want to win-no time can be lost
in having their forces cooperate
particularly to weaken Russia.