Evening star., 1942-11-12


back at critics .!yl'l:
who were de- #E:*&a
manding 4 sec David Lawrence.
ond front" last summer, both the
President and the Prime Ministe,
made some disclosures which seem
to raise questions Of Allied unity.
On the face Of it, the impression
Is given either that Stain was ar
outsider not cognizant of the facts
or that Stain knew all along what
was going on but didn't consider
the North African offensive to be
. second front of sufficiently strong
diversionary movement Of German
forces that would aid Russia.
The President disclosed that by
the end Of June there was general
agreement on the African offensive
and that by the end Of July certain
fundamental questions. such as the
point Of attack and matters involv-
Ing shipping and the manufacturing
problem, were decided on.
Mr.. Roosevelt said that in the
succeeding months he and Mr.
Churchill had ito take 1t on the
chin" from persons on the outside
not cognizant of the facts.
Churchill Explains.
simultaneously in London, the
Prime Minister in a speech, not to
the press but to the Parliament,
explained why a second front attack
on the continent might have been
. relief to our feelings" but that
1t would have been q disaster which
would have been no help to Rus
sia" and instead would have been
. great disservice."
Then came the important dis
closure by Mr.. Churchill that last
June he had given the Russian gov
ernment written document making
1t clear that Britain was preparing
ITO make landing on the continent
In 1912, but could not promise to do
so."
Perhaps this was a reference to
the raid at Dieppe. because he was
speaking Of the European continent
and not North Africa.
The Prime Minister went on to
make this significant comment:
Il am certainly not one who needs
to be prodded. If anything, I am
prod"
To whom was the Prime Minister
referring? To Wendell Willkie, who,
In discussing second front while in
Moscow, said that sometimes mill
tary leaders needed to be prodded?
Or was Mr.. Churchill referring to a
public statement issued by Stain to
the Associated Press shortly after
Mr.. Willkie left, reiterating his de-
mand for second front?
Or was the Prime Minister an
swering Mr.. Stains speech last week
on the 25th anniversary of the
founding of the Soviet Aepublic? On
that occasion the Soviet chief point
ed out that the whole operation in
Egypt involved a small number OF
army divisions for both the Germans
and the British and did not in effect
constitute diversion that could re-
lieve pressure on the stalingrad and
Caucasus fronts. He was still calling
for bigger second front.
Mr.. Churchill apparently does not
consider that what has happened in
Africa thus far is the second front
the Russians have asked.
Lack Of Accord.
It will occur to any we'll informed
observer that there is a lack of ac-
cord here somewhere. On the one
hand, 1t is stated officially by the
President that the press can assume
that our principal fighting allies
were taken into consultation before
anything was done. On the other
hand. those who demanded sec
ond front-both Joseph Stain and
Mr.. Willkie-are now criticized as
ignorant Of the facts.
One explanation offered here is
that, despite the explanations, the
North African offensive was planned
In the summer but not actually de-
cided upon until the autumn. One
friend Of Mr.. Willkie suggested that
final decision really was made ir
October and that 1t was still con-
tingent on Gen. Alexander's success,
In Egypt in breaking up Rommer'
army. It may have been organized
Of course, with q Zero hour" fol
some time this month.
But all this still doesn't explain
Why both Mr.. Churchill and Mr.
Roosevelt on the same day took oc.
casion to answer critics. Certainl,
they must have known that If the,
were slapping at Mr. Willkie, the,
were blasting away also 1t the prin'
cipal exponent Of second front
namely, the head Of an allied gov
ernment whose millions Of soldier
have made the supreme sacrifice OF
the plains Of Russia 80 that Britain
and America might have time II
organize to ward OF the Nax con
ouerors Of Europe. It's all yer.
puzzltng. 49,
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