Evening star., 1943-07-03
Vast Store Of Supplies
Going 10 Macarthur,
Knox Assures Nation
BY The Associated Press.

SAN FRANCISCO July 3.-Vast
quantities OF ships. planes and sub
marines are on their way to the
Pacific war theater to carry out
new blows against the japanese
says Navy Secretary Frank Knox.
We are exerting major effort
in the Pacific he told a Chamber
of Commerce audience yesterday.
and this effort will be increased
and intensified"
The Navy Secretary, who con-
tinued his tour of war plants and
military installations today, tenn
pered optimism in respect to recent
victories with the admission that
oil was becoming a critical problem.
He said real shortage was
certain to develop In 1914, and
might come about this year.
Must Get Outside Reserves.
He declared it was imperative for
the Government to begin to acquire
oil reserves from outside the con-
tinental limits of the United States
because of our own dwindling
supply.
Mr.. Knox looked up from his pre-
pared address at one point to re-
mark that the whole program OF Axis
"depredaticn" in the Atlantic was
not meeting the success its plan
ners expected He said the Allies
expected serious losses in the North
Atlantic area. but after March
something happened and our losses
have gone down. On the other hand
he said, the rate at which we are
sinking Axis subs has gone up.
Mr.. Knox brought hearty ap-
plause with the statement that
much more" in ships, planes and
submarines lis now on the way to
the Pacific
1T is certainly true there have
been occasions when we have lacked
the men and the material that we
felt we needed he said. There
were times when We simply did not
have available the men, the ships
and the planes that we wanted tc
send to the Pacific area. But the
day of shortages is nearing an end.
Cites Huge Plane Output.
The Secretary said that during
June the Navy accepted combat
planes at the rate of approximately
10000 a year. This figure, as good a:
it is, he said. may be expected to &c
still higher in the next six months
Mr.. Knox said it would be "fata
to accept our accomplishments Of
the past year with satisfaction.
For on the day our progress is equa
to our desires, "on that day we viii
begin to lose the war;
Yet, he said, in the first half o1
1943 there is much to enter on the
profit side of the ledger:
In the Pacific we are no longer or
the defensive-at sea, I'VE are offer.
ing battle more often than we car
find takers
In the Aleutian theater, on the Is.
land of Attu, I'VE have given thu
Jaoanese enemy bloW which hi
will not soon forget-and he may ex'
pect more of the same"
In the Atlantic the Axis force!
failed completely in their effort tt
disrupt Allied communication ant
supply lines which aided in the in
vasion and liberation of Africa.
In the Mediterranean Italy ha'
surrendered number OF vital out
post islands.
And in all Western Europe ant
parts of Scandinavia Hitler ant
Musscllni frantically prepare for thu
awful hour of invasion, alread!
threatened by ever growing signs o
devastation from the skies
These who persist hereafter IL
saying that we are making onl.
alf-hearted efforts in the Pacif'
completely disregard the fact that
during the past IL months. the air
surface and undersea naval actor
between United Nations forces ant
the japanese have been the mos
intensive in all the history Of nava
warfare. In almost every encounter
our forces have had to face superio
odds-and in no encounter have ou
forces failed to add new glory to th'
gallant traditions of the Unitet
States naval service"