Evening star., 1942-06-23
.LittIeChunce
Fall Seen
War Production
To Be Speeded os
Answer to Tobruk
BY H. ]. J. SARGENT.

BY H. ]. J. SARGENT.
LONDON, June % CBy Wireless).
AS was the case after the loss OF
the battleships Prince Of Wales and
Renown, the fall of Hong Kong and
the surrender of Singapore, the
questions asked in England since
the fall of Tobruk have been what
is the government going to do? Is
Churchill likely to resign? If so.
who is his probable successor"
think these questions can be
answered in few words. The gov
ernment will do its utmost to speed
up the war effort and redouble its
production efforts to make good the
heavy material losses sustained on
the Libyan battlefield and Tobruk
and keep on fighting. Churchill
will not resign. Sir Stafford Cripps
and Laborite Leader Clement r.
Attlee who have been mentioned as
possible successors to Churchill will
remain in their present posts. Cripps
as Dominion Minister and Attlee as
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Privy
Seal and leader of the House OF
Commons.
Lord Beaverbrook, whose speech
at Birmingham on Sunday. urging
the opening of a second front, at
tracted considerable attention, may
possibly return to the government.
particularly when the second front
Is established. But his return Is
not taken for granted by informed
observers. AS a mattea Of fact,
there has been a great decline in
Lord Beaverbrooks popularity In
the last few months. Last Novem-
Der, popular poll gave Beaver
brook IL per cent of the votes as
successor to Churchill. In April.
the same poll gave him only 2 per
cent.
Eden's Popularity Growing.
The most popular successor to
Churchill at the present time would
| seem to be Foreign Secretary An
thony Eden. who received 81 per
cent Of the votes in the April poll.
He was closely followed by Cripps.
with "a per cent, while Attlee, La
borite Ernest Bevins and Beaver
brook each received 2 per cent.
Eden's popularity has been on the
increase since his good work as
principal British representative in
the discussion leading to conclusion
of the new Anglo-Soviet agreement.
But I do not think there will be
q cabinet shake-up over the re-
verses in Libya. If this proves er-
roneous and there Is change in
leadership, don't believe that Eden.
Attlee or any one else who succeeds
Churchill would undertake any dras-
tic change in Britain's war policy.
There might possibly be changes in
the method Of application. however.
The primary objective Of every
British political leader from extreme
rightist Anthony Eden to extreme
leftist Sir Stafford Cripps Is to beat
the Axis and make the kind of peace
which will prevent the world from
being faced with another total war
in this generation. A Prime Min
lister not as familiar with military
operations as Churchill would prob
ably leave all tactical thinking and
a great deal more Of the strategical
planning to military advisers. My
own view is that neither Eden nor
Attlee as Prime Minister would carry
as much prestige in the Chiefs Of
Staff Committee as Churchill They
probably would place the conduct
Of the war, as far as Great Britain
is concerned. more in the hands Of
naval, military and air leaders than
in the cabinet. Whether that Is
desirable from a national viewpoint
and how far such situation would
be acceptable to the United States
and the Soviet Union Is another
matter.
No Cries for ScapegoatS.
To do the Englishman justice, he
Is not crying for scapegoats, or 9TH
erwise showing temper over the
Libyan affair. The opinion most
frequently expressed is disappoint-
ment at the overoptimism shown by
British authorities in the Near East
and the sanguine declarations of Of
fetal spokesmen at Cairo.
Broadly speaking, the attitude hers
is one of grim determination. Peo-
pie want to know how such a series
OF defeats eliminating in the fall OF
Tobruk occurred. They expect
Churchill to make a full public
statement when he returns to Eng
land, and 1t may be taken for
granted that Churchill, who is a
master judge Of public temper and a
master Of timing, will make such a
declaration.
(Released BY North American Newspaper