Evening star., 1942-07-19
India S Peace Hopes
Are Tied 10 Allies,
Maj. Eliot Declares

ND EllVl VeIldIES
Nations Strategic Position
And Monpower Held
VitoI to Victory
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.
Political difficulties are arising
again in India. The Indian leaders
chiefly responsible for this fact are
appealing to American sympathies.
This is a total and global war,
end India is OF vital strategic and
economic Importance to the cause
Of the United Nations. 1t is i'm
possible to consider the problems of
India in a vacuum. No American
can look at those problems from
any other point of view than that
of the welfare of the cause to which
his country is committed. On the
success Of that cause must rest any
possibility of the attainment of
Indias aspirations for freedom in
particular, as well as the future Of
human liberty on this planet in
general.
1t might, therefore, be advisable
for Indian leaders hoping for SYM
pathetic support OF Americans in
their natural desire for independ-
ence, to examine the position Of
their country in this war-torn world
today.
Springboard for Burma Drive.
India stands between the Middle
East and the Far East. facing both
east and west. On her eastern ex-
tremities, she is In direct contact
with the Japanese in Burma.
Through India alone is it now pos
sible for Britain and the United
States to supply munitions to China.
From India alone will 1t be possible
for the United Nations to launch
an offensive for the recovery OF
Burma, which is the only really
satisfactory means by which China
can be given adequate support.
On air forces based in India and
h1 Ceylon, which depends on India
In the military sense, must rest very
largely the ability of the United
Nations to observe or control jap
anese naval enterprises emerging
from the Strait Of Malacca, which
might otherwise seriously imperil
our shipping in the Indian Ocean.
Looking westward, India affords
the beginning, at any rate, Of i'm
portant supply routes into Iran and
Russian Central Asia. The value Of
these routes may soon be of far
greater Importance than they are
now If things 60 badly in South
Russia.
India also affords q valuable CEN
trail position for Allied air power
which can strike In either direction
as emphasized by the fact that Maj.
Gen. Lewis Brereton's squadrons
from India have Just arrived in
Egypt to support the British against
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
He who holds India in fact con-
trolls the greater part Of South Asia
and the Indian Ocean and while
India is held fast for the United
Nations, the Germans and Japanese
can never effect~a junction in this
part Of the world.
Has Vast Manpower.
Watching the Burmese frontier
and buttressing China, on the one
hand, India supports the vitality Inn
portant Anglo-Russian positions in
the Middle East on the other.
AS to resources, India has vast
reserves Of manpower, some Of very
high military quality and some Of
great industrial potentiality.
India is self-supporting as far as
food is concerned. She has great
reserves of iron and coal and q
growing industry forming. in fact
the only United Nations industrial
area in all the long stretch between
the British Isles and Australia.
The Indian output OF small arms.
artillery, ammunition, armor plate
and other military supplies is grow
ing. A United States technical
mission visited India recently and
many of It's recommendations now
are being carried out. Increasing
American help for Indian industry
and transportation will be forth
coming.
These are the facts and they must
be dealt with as such. We are at
war and our great object this year
Is to prevent the enemy from max
ing decisive gains at the expense
of our great continental allies,
Russia and China.
It is a struggle In which we have
not had too much success so far.
and for which our Immediately
available resources are none too
great. 1t is necessary for us to
adopt a realistic attitude and to
abandon sentiment.
Those who are not with us in
this struggle are against us. and
those whose acts or attitudes,
whether 50 intended or not, would
deprive us in whole or In part of
the enormous military advantages
derived from the possession of India
can hardly expect Americans to re-
gard them with anything but hos
tility
Indeed, most thinking Indians
must be wondering by this time
whether the advice OF moderate and
farsighted men does not more
closely conform to the true interests
OF all the peoples OF India than
the curiously unrealistic demands of
Gandhi and the All-1ndia Congress
leaders.
tcopyriEht, 1e42, New York Tribune, Inc.)
Advice Brief and Pointed