Evening star., 1943-05-23

the United States could be knocked
out Of the war by sneak attack,
planned to wipe out American naval
power and leave the japanese with a
free hand to carry on the conquest
OF the Pacific. The keyman in the
planning of the raid on Pearl Harbor,
1t was revealed on Friday, will not be
on hand for the final defeat, nor will
he make good on his proud boast
that he would dictate the japanese
peace terms to the United States in
the White House Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto, commander in chief of
the japanese fleet, paid with his life,
according to an announcement over
the Toxic radio, while flying in
plane during an engagement last
month somewhere on the front line
which, it is assumed, was somewhere
In the South Pacific over the waters
north of Australia. Details are lack
Ing. There was the news also that
Attu is now restored to American
control.
More important than the death of one
man, no matter how exalted his post,
however, was the plain, unqualified
statement by Prime Minister Churchill,
IN speech to Congress, that "the Brit
ish will be in there fighting side by side
with you while their is breath in our
bodies and blood flows in our veins"
Mr.. Churchill explained that at the
conference he had with President Roose-
velt shortly after Pearl Harbor, it was
decided that defeat of Japan would not
necessarily mean defeat of Hitler while
defeat of Hitler inevitably would bring
about the destruction of the japanese
military and naval power. The war
against the Japs, whom he described as
already covering under the fear of death
from the air. will go on, Mr. Churchill
promised, until her cities are laid in
utter waste. Then, in the plainest of
language, Mr.. Churchill added, But I
repudiate the slightest suspicion that we
should hold anything back that can be
usefully employed or that I and the
government represent are not resolute
to employ every man, gun or airplane
that can be used in this business as we
have proved ourselves ready to do in the
other theaters of the war"
With queer sort of reasoning, a COM
mentator in Rome, speaking of the
Churchill address over the radio, found
great comfort in that portion of it in
which Mr.. Churchill promised invasion
OF the European continent you al
ways know" said the commentator,
that when the British are silent, they
have something up their sleeves. When
they boast and cite figures, you can fig
ure that they are about go per cent
correct, but when Churchill comes right
out and tells you that he is going to
bomb, burn and invade, you can rest
assured that he will do no such thing"
That comment must have been COM
fort to the population of the Ruhr and
the Rhine Valleys as they dashed into
their AFRAID shelters while the ground
above them shook with the violence of
the hundreds of tons of bombs dropped
by American and British planes over
head.
Putting far more faith in the Churchill
words was DR.. Eduard Benes, President
OF Czechoslovakia, who expressed the
opinion before the Council of Foreign
Relations in New York City that the
war in Europe will end this year.
In London Production Minister stated
he knows where the blow will fall, and
perhaps 1t will not be in the Mediter-
ranean that the invasion will come.