Evening star., 1942-02-22
What the Allies Must Do

sistence and the raw materials of war,
Japan has been almost wholly so. Its
food problem was chronically serious
until the rice-growing centers Of Indo-
China and Thailand we're brought under
control. The two chief civilian indus
tries, cotton textiles and raw silk the
latter supporting 100000 persons.
were maintained through cotton imports
and purchases of silk by the United
States.
Supplied by Victims s-to-Be.
1t is no exaggeration to say that Ja-
pans entire war machine was equipped
by its unwary victims -be-the United
States, British Empire and Netherlands
Indies They provided SO per cent OF
its iron scrap and ore, nickel, copper
and lead; rs per cent of its machine
tools, 80 per cent of its automotive and
aircraft products, 80 per cent Of its cot
ton, 80 per cent of its wool and nearly all
its tin. rubber, chemicals, special steels,
ball-bearings and petroleum
There is a scarcity of merchant ship
ping, particularly tankers. Japans ef-
1OI 10 70 ODldIIl uCSlCc VI SCA-SUl1lIl~
ency through exploitation of Manchuria
and occupied China have met thus far
with dismal results.
Future chroniclers, turning from this
spectacle of Axis improvement and ma
tural weakness to the actual strategic
picture, will likely enough pause at the
surrender Of Singapore, q crossroads of
df 10 HWY >f yafuI,f-
mare quality, with lurid vistas Of worse
to come for the Allies over period of
II or even 18 months. They will perhaps
marvel that during the first war years
the Axis accomplished so much with
so little, while the free peoples achieved
so little with so much.
They may be compelled to record that
delay and administrative incompetence
in the American defense program for
the first year and a half were determin-
ing elements in Allied overthrow: that
the crowning fatality was neglect to
convert the national automotive plant
to war production year ago; and that
the costiliest spree of all time was the
debauch of durable goods manufacture
w hllCllSdll 1lQQSbly
the first half of 1e41. On the other hand.
they may be able to testify that Amer
lean energy, resources and skill, despite
a late start, were sufficient in the end
to win the war, or at least to stave
off defeat.
They will paint the titanic dimen-
sions to which the Allied job Of VIC
frrrr hae hAn oil 10 Il ele
the mortal necessity imposed by eco
nomic circumstances upon the Axis Of
gaining a decision in the next one or
two years, with the alternative at best
of ruinous draw.
Today's Military Scene.
The canvas of todays military scene
will be depicted somewhat as follows
Prior to the establishment of the
combined Chiefs of Staff in Washing
ton two weeks ago. vague overall STRAIT
egy among the Allies assigned the task
of engaging Germany and Japan on
land to Russia and China respectively:
that of enforcing sea-blockade against
Naz Europe in the Atlantic and Medi-
terranean was intrusted to Britain; and
that of defending the Pacific was as
sumed by the United States, with ''ths
greatest fleet on earth" as its weapon.
The job Of winning the war must in
clude efforts to halt Japan's campaign,
beginning at first if possible with Java;
raiding and trying to cut its overex-
tended supply lines; and then dislodg-
ing the invaders from the territories
fhorr hax iaI "a fob iy,o
which might have been made unneces-
sary If the Allies had had on the spot
one months output Of American mill
tary planes and a dozen of the SO or
more divisions idling in Great Britain
and lthe United States-will no doubt
prove one of extreme difficulty.
1t is not to be expected that the Japa-
nese will defend their conquests as
feebly as the erStwhile owners did, but
that on the contrary they will hasten to
install such modern entertainments, ar
mament and air bases as those con-
structed by Germany along the coast
from Norway to the Bay of Biscay. These
defenses are so nearly impregnable that
Britain, with so divisions of troops at
hand. dared not even attempt to con-
vert Hitlers attack on Russia into two
front war
1t would be a mistake to assume that
the war will retain its present status,
formidable as 1t is, until the United
Nations are prepared to take the offen-
sive in 1943. The Axis, as a matter Of
self preservation, will move heaven and
earth to confront the Allies year from
now with a situation which even they
will be compelled to acknowledge -
hopeless.