Evening star., 1942-07-19

As the military situation in Europe
becomes more threatening for the United
Nations, the need for a unified high COM
-nand, to which the local commands on
the various fronts are subordinated, be-
comes more imperative.
If President Roosevelt's name is most
prominently mentioned today in Wash
ington as the man likely to assume this
colossal burden, it is because he is the
most likely parsonage to be accepted as
the leader of the nations which form the
anti-AXis group Of nations.
It is true that Mr. Roosevelt has no
military training. He is, however. the
best-informed and most astute Of the
non-military political leaders of the
United Nations.
AS the war develops many more
millions of men, thousands of ships. and
hundreds Of thousands of planes will be
involved in the gigantic struggle. Strictly
military knowledge is required of field
commanders, but the wide scope of the
combat-its grand strategy-does not
necessarily require military man.
A non-militarist with a good brain and
vell-advised by able technicians may be
more successful in developing the funda-
mental lines of strategy for the United
Nations than the professional militarist
who is bound by the dogmas of his train
ing.
Results to Date Unsatisfactory.
It cannot be denied that Mr.. Roosevelt
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can be found in the fact that he has
attempted to administer details and
has insisted on dealing with specific
strategies. Moreover, until recently he
was compelled to subject military con-
siderations to political and diplomatic
eXigencies.
The results have been unsatisfactory,
both for American fighting forces and
for the grand strategy of the United
Nations. This is particularly true in
regard to his wavering policy with respect
to the Pacific war theater
The President knows how vitally i'm
portant that zone of operations is to the
Allies ard how easy it is to obtain i'm
portant successes there. He also knows,
probably better than most people, how
difficult operations across the Atlantic
would be-
It is possible that if Mr.. Roosevelt's
hands were free he would pay more
attention to the Pacific But his hands
were tied by diplomacy He could not
turn a deaf ear to Prime Minister
Churchill, who pointed out to him the
satisfactory progress of the British in
Libya and urged him to help clear that
region Of the Nazi pestilence. Neither
could he refuse to listen to the arguments
of Moscow brought to him by his trusted
representatives, Harry Hopkins and W.
Averel Hartman, who reported that
Russia must have a second front this
summer.
These calls for diversion against the
Nazis in Western Europe have been
intensified lately as the German offensive
gained momentum. Tens of thousands
of men have been diverted from their
proper functions and millions of tons of
war material and much badly-needed
shipping went the same way. But those
intimates of the President who believe
they can read his mind are convinced
that if circumstances had been different,
our present strategy would be different.
Expects Long War.
In discussing war prospects with his
intimates, President Roosevelt has in
dicated that he believes this is going to
be very long war and that our prepara-
tions must be for a struggle which will
not end in few years.
Whatever charges against him may be
true, there is no question that President
Roosevelt is the outstanding personality
in the congomeration of nations which
are fighting the Nazis and the Japs.
This war has so far produced relatively
few successful leaders. Mr.. Churchill
might have been one if he had not been
so desperately unlucky in all his military
undertakings. Ill-fortune, due princi-
rally to the fact that he has followed
political rather than military advice, has
dogged him since the last war and still
plaques him.
There are no other political-or, for
that matter, military or naval leaders,