The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-13

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nllIherous heavy and light cruisers
and destroyers were sighted steam'
ing for Ceylon April I, the day be-
fore the first Japanese airplane at.
tack OH colombo, he said.
British Bombers Licked
He admitted that practically al
Of q feet Of British bomber, torpedo
and fighter planes which attacked
the Japanese feet of Trinconalee
Ceylon were Knocked out damaged
or become uIlServiceable,"
Refusing to disclose the strength
or disposition Of the British fleet n
Indian waters, he announced that
Admiral Sir James Somerville, com.
mander Of the ships which evacu'
ated the British cxpeditionary force
from Dupukirk and who since had
been In command In the western
Mediterranean, was now in the chief
command In the Indian Ocean area,
In his speech, he announced that
Captain Lord Louis Mountbattenl
cousin OF King George and O dis.
tinguished career naval man and
battle commander, had been secret
" put In command Of combined
operations" which means the COM
mando raids that have forced the
German TO strengthen their de-
lenses oil the way from Brest TO
NarVik.
He announced that within the
next two weeks OF 50 there would
be o statement on the course Of thC
war at o secret session Of the house
Of commons.
Regarding the rupture Of nego'
tiations at New Delhi with the In
dian Nationalist, he indicated tina
he would not make o statement
until the return Of Sir STAFFORD
Cripps, war cabinet envoy TO India
who may be in q position TO make
o personal statement"
II take this opportunity Of say
Ing how much we have admired thu
tcnacity, ingenuity and patience
with which he conducted these ne
gotiations," he added. Although
do not doubt that he feels stricken
by o most cruel blow by the fac
that success was not achieved, tha'
does not In any way lessen the fac
that We highly approve his mission
and his conduct Of negotiations"
OF the Indian defense situation
he said the main preoccupatton o
General Sir Archibald Wavell, COM
mander In chief, must ct present b
to conduct the war on the frontiers
OF Eastern India.
He said all available information
regarding the Malaga campaign
would be studied closely for the les
sons In 1t but he would not promise
10 publish an official white repor
on It within o foreseeable time"
He said also that report on thu
campaign received from Major Gen
eral Henry Gordon Bennett, com
manding AUSTRALIANS in Malaga
. would not be published.
1.-THE government is collecting in
formation on Malaga wherever i
can," he said, "And General Wavel
has been instructed TO appoint ON
GERS to collect informa.lon lion
personnel who escaped from Stnga
pore to india"
He added that this was not tn,
time to pronounce judgment on tn
campaign and that 1t would not b.
In the general interest 10 name al
, investigating commission.
, Indian Policies
New Delhi, India, April IL - u
P.) - Great Britain may make |
new declaration OF Indian polio.
son In the hope Of getting Indii
) fully aroused 20 the japanese in
( vasion menace despite the failure o
dominion status negotiations, wei
informed political quarters reportet
| today.
Indian nationalist leaders, led b.
3 Jawaharlal Nehru, had alread,
! pledged themselves to fight an.
japanese attack despite the rupture
! Of negotiations which sent Sir stat
! ford Grips, British war cabinet en-
! voy, back toward London yesterday
! Even Mohandas K. Gandhi, arch
. pacifist pledged himself to coinplet,
: passive resistance against the Jap
anese and said:
II and my followers Will retus'
any help, even water, for the Jap
! anese even II 1t should cost us oul
lives"
Despite all that happened w
are not going to embarrass th'
, British war effort" said Nehru at {
; press conference yesterday, "og 4
interfere with the help our Amer.
. lean friends are giving w
can not help the British war effort
but we win organize our own wal
. effort on the basis Of free and in
dependent India.
even If SubhaS Bose (exiled ma.
, tionaIist LEADER should arrive at thu
head Of an army alongside the Jap
anese we would fight him. He wculs
be playing the Japanese game. ON
attitude Is 100 per cent resistance
We will organize full and complies
resistance to any aggressor until VI
die. II Germany and Japan won tn
war It would be q world tragedy
, Despite the refusal Of the British
proposals. midas share 10 the va
must be continued"