Evening star., 1942-01-28
Knox
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fusion will diminish and the people
will realize why there must be q
news shortage as well as q rubber
shortage
Il have been criticized for sug-
gesting that Hitler Is our great
enemy; that without Hitler Japan
could get nowhere" he said.
"And where do you suppose Japan
could get if Britain, Russia and the
United States were not occupied with
Hitler in the west and were free to
join the gallant, long suffering
Chinese and hurl their collective
weight on Japan?
"Emboldened by Hitler's successes
and disappointed in China, the am
bilious Japanese struck us in the
Pacific. The Axis chose the time
and the Pacific as the place for our
entry in the war. 1t Is there that
our fleet has been attacked: there
that American territory has been
invaded: there that Americans are
fighting epic battles against enor-
nous odds.
why? Because Hitler wants us
to throw all our growing strength
into the Pacific, to stop supplying
the British and the Russians. He
has suffered losses this winter. He
has to gather his strength for
another great offensive. He knows
what our arsenal can deliver, SO he
wants to divert our attention to the
more spectacular war in the Pacific.
Won't Fall Into Trap.
But this is what We propose not
to do; We will not fall into Hitlers
trap
I'VE know, as I say, that this is
all one war. Attacked in the Pacific
and the Atlantic we have to fight
and win in the Pacific and the At
lantic! We dare not turn our backs
to either front. These criminals are
too good with daggers. We must
not confuse history with strategy.
1.-The. main enemy y'historiChiE may
not be the first enemy strategically.
We cannot concentrate on defeat
ing him alone We cannot take
them on one at time when they're
coming two at . time.
But If some people thought I
was in favor of forgetting the Pa
cific; if some people misunderstood
my reminder that the German
monster was still at large and un-
subdued, the Navy didn't.
Since I made that remark jan
uary II, the Navy has accounted
for 1s Japanese ships, and probably
three others, and has done q num-
Der Of other things discretion for
bids me to report.
Discussing the Nays role in the
long, grim days ahead" Secretary
Knox said:
In 86 navy yards ships are being
born. A year ago 10 private yards
were working for the Navy-today
It's twice that many. The Navy has
"a air stations. What we
gained in the destroyer trade with
Britain was not bases, but the
right to build bases. They are be-
ing built-nearly half billion dol
lars was spent on them last
wear" -
American sailors and marines
are now serving in Newfoundland,
in Bermuda. in the Bahamas, An
tigua, Jamaica, st. Lucia. Trinidad
and British Guiana. In the Pacific
they are scattered from the Arctic
to the far-flung islands OF the South
Seas-and they will be back in the
Philippines and In Guam and
Wake!"
U. S. Must Be Guarded.
He said the Nays job lis un-
precedented in magnitude" because: ::
Unlike the First World War, this
conflict must be fought across both
the Atlantic and the Pacific, upon
land fronts which almost surround
the Eastern Hemisphere and upon
sea fronts in all the oceans of the
world.
In 1917 we could look IN one
direction. In 1912 the United States
must look in all directions at once
Not only must we fight, but we
must guard our arsenal of dem
ocrecy. We must guard our
coasts. We must also protect our
strategic artery, the Panama Canal
and its approaches and our far-fung
bases.
But our coasts, our canal. our
bases are only part Of it. Our en-
battled friends, all the peoples OF the
British Empire, the Russians, the
Dutch, the Chinese who have fought
the common foe for almost five
years, all must be supplied. - All
these ships must be protected,
too. -
That's the job the Navy has to
do. It's an immense assignment. 1t
means protection everywhere and
effective fighting forces in all the
seas and all the oceans"