Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-16

ana II Is q mat SE':'s*z
ter Of satisfac- David Lawrence.
ton that Gen. Marshall and Ad-
mlral King, as well as President
Roosevelt. are not attempting to
supervise the operations of our far
Hung forces in the day-by-day de-
ctsions that have to be made.
Gen. Eisenhower, for example, is
dealing with the most delicate kind
OF questions affecting our relations
with native populations in North
Africa and with the civil and mill
tary personnel Of the French CO.
lonial empire who until 10 days
ago have been directly under the
Vichy government. In London and
perhaps in America are elements
OF the Free French" movement who
may not understand the niceties of
adjustment that have to be made
and yet 1t is important that they
do not. fly of the handle, so to
speak. but wait patiently for the I'LL
innate emergence Of our whole plan
Of campaign.
Restraint Is Necessary.
For many months 1t has been
dimcult for observers on the Free
French side to understand our De-
partmeut Of States relations with
the vichy government and especially
Secretary Hull's reluctance to rec
ognize any French group in exile
as the government with which we
would deal exclusively. That policy
Of restraint on our part was neces-
sary then and 1t Is even more nee
essary now as our military repre-
sentatives abroad seek to CONSOLE
date all French elements that are
really at heart in. sympathy with
our cause.
1t may turn out when the inside
story. Of the last two. years is re-
vealed that Marshal Petain and
Admiral Darlan played their cards
exceedingly well in keeping the
French fleet immobilized so long
In the Mediterranean. It may
turn out that many of the COM
muniques and, statements issued
from Vichy in the name OF high
officers there were really dictated
by German officials as q means OF
distributing propaganda that keep
the French colonial administra-
tions overseas hostile to or neutral
toward the British and American
side. It may turn out that the
Vichy officials have not been ready
heretofore to make an issue of this
German influence.
But the turning point has come
and the struggle between the Axis
government and the United Nations
for possession of the remainder Of
the French feet and the French
colonial territory Is now on with
thu chances that II America plays
her cards carefully the whole Medi-
terranean, including Italy, will
swing to our side. It does not,
therefore, behoove any element, left
wing or right wing, in French Guar
tiers here or in Britain or else
where to assume that the United
States Government has run out on
the Free French or embraced the
Vichy French group or taken any
step that Is anything but a mill
tary move In the evolution Of q
tangled problem.
When Gen. Eisenhower makes
friends with Admiral Darlan, we
who are many thousands Of miles
away must assume that he knows
what he is doing and when Gen.
Graud accepts the Darlan leader
ship, 1t must be assumed that he,
too, knows what he is doing.
On one thing the public can be
assured. The tide Is running in our
direction and requirement OF the
actual aid and friendship Of the
people in the empire controlled here
tofore by vichy is the real goal be-
ing sought. Jockeying by French
men for after-the- positions Of
power should be put aside in the
common interest Of eventual victory,
No Time for Post Mortems.
What goes for North Africa, goes
In a measure also for the South
Pacific. Admiral Halsey is in the
lighting zone In full command Of
all our operations in and around the
Solomons. He is working In close
cooperation with Gen. Macarthur.
This is no time for post-mortems or
laments on breaks that have gone
against us in the past. Our Navy
Is putting up a magnificent offen-
sive in wearing down japanese naval
strength and keeping the Japanese
Navy from our Hawaii-to-Australia
supply lines while holding to the
bases we already have established in
the Solomons. Gen. Macarthur is
doing = splendid cleanup job in New
Guinea from whose coastal bases
more and more of our Flying For
tresses are operating.
The war in the Southwest Pacific
proceeds slowly, but 1t moves on
inexorably toward the goals of ulti-
mate victory, because the men on
the ground are good tacticians and
courageous .exponents of American
initiative. While the high COM
mand In Washington outlines the
broad principles Of our of1ensives,
the commanders actually In the
lighting zones have full authority to
carry them out in the manner that
seems best at the moment. They
have the full confidence Of the
hikh command back home and de-
serve the confidence Of the people.
10.
0sSfodnction Nieht Aessrved.)