Evening star., 1942-12-07
Japan 5 Ship Losses
Are Near Desperation
Point, Knox Says
Roosevelt Praises Unity
As Allies Take Offensive
Against Axis
4y the Associated Press.

Secretary of the Navy Knox
asserted today that Japan's loss
of warships, cargo vessels anc
troop transports was approach
ing the point of desperation and
imperiling the security of hel
far-flung Pacific island bases.
The enemy's maritime strength,
he said in an article in the Army
and Navy Journal, has been cut ir
one year of war ito a few Thousand
tons short of desperately impairine
Nippon's extended lines of COM
munication and supply" -
In a letter written for the same
publication, President Roosevelt
said the unity of the American
people and of the United Nation,
has provided the dominant note In
the war effort as the Allies take the
initiative against the Axis powers
The President said he was proud OF
"our unity in deliberation, in decis-
ion, in action
No Hit or Miss Calculations.
"Our initial acceptance of the de.
fensive, our assumption of the initi.
ative when the opportunity struck
we're no hit or miss calculate
he said. "They were the outcome o1
thoughtful estimate made not by
nightmarish amateurs, but by mill.
tary men whose lives have beer
consecrated to the study of war. Ar
outstanding example of their labor!
is the brilliant campaign underway
in North Africa"
Mr.. Knox said, "The time is actu'
ally close when the Japanese force!
in the occupied islands of the Pacifi,
will suffer for lack Of replacement!
in manpower, weapons, ammunition
and medical supplies-for the lacl
of ships to transport them"
For this situation he gave much
credit to the war of attrition wageo
during the last II months by Amer.
lean submarines in the Western
Pacific, and translating the subs
accomplishments into terms of fu-
ture battles, he added:
Patient whiting away of the
ship strength of our maritime
enemy, Japan, lessons the magni.
tude of the task our men will have
to do with bomb and bayonet along
the long, hard road to Toxic"
U. s. Building Pace Accelerated.
Against the attrition suffered BY
Japan, whose replacement rate Il
much less than that of the United
States, Mr.. Knox set the fact that
"our own shipyards are launching
naval vessels at constantly accel-
Grated rate, which has already pro-
vided us today with a far larger
harder-hitting and faster fleet thar
we had on December Z, 1941."
He said submarine construction
time had been cut since Pearl Har.
Dor by four months and three days;
battleship has been put into the
fleet seven months ahead of sched.
ule: destroyers are produced in little
more than half the time it took ir
1910, and the latest aircraft carrier
sent to sea was built "in exactly
half the time, plus four days, re-
quired to complete her predecessor. ,
He did not name the carrier, but
might have had in mind the Hornet
which was started In September
1899, and commissioned in October
| l94l. Prior to that the Wasp was
started in April, 1896, and commits
stoned in April, 1910.
Mr.. Knox declared the United
States, having produced q grea
quantity of arms of all kinds, wa.
now concentrating on improving tn,
quality OF its weapons and said q.
wish with all my heart that v,
could likewise increase the qualit.
Of criticism
I'VE have greater overproductior
| Co.