The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-24
VITAL MOVE AHEAD
Pacific Decisions Made At
Meeting With Minister
From China
NO PRIORITY IS GIVEN
Brendan Bracken Decline,
To Comment On I'm
portant Outline

QUEBEC, Aug. 23.-(P)-
Military decisions "of the
utmost important" in which
the strategy to defeat Japan
constitutes "a very important
part" have been made at the
Quebec war conference, it
was announced tonight by
Brendan Bracken, British
minister of information and
an intimate of Prime Minis
ter Churchill.
Bracken made his state
ment after a luncheon confer
ence attended by President
Roosevelt, the British prime
minister, T. V. Soong, China's
foreign minister, and Harry
Hopkins, presidential adviser.
The Pacific decisions were
made at this meeting.
Asked whether the con-
clusions ia ken regarding
Japan were the most impor-
tant made, Bracken said:
''It's rather hard to give
priority to any decision
There have been so many i'm
portant decisions made here"
Bracken also disclosed that
following the weeks confer
ences, which close tomorrow
Prime, Minister Churchill
plans a broadcast and a fish
ing trip before he returns to
London. The time of the
British leaders, speech and
where he will go from Quebec
we're not disclosed.
Roosevelt Will Speak
Mr.. Roosevelt, it had already
been announced, will address can
ada's Parliament in Ottawa We'd
nesday before heading south.
In describing the luncheon gath
ering. Bracken said it was mill
itary luncheon and meeting to
decide important matters OF stra1-
egy in the Pacific"
The general assumption W a S
that the president and prime min
lister already had reached a ten
tative agreement on war strategy
involving China, had informed
Soong of it and asked him to rat
ify it.
Bracken told the press confer
ence that he had not previously
seen "a more hopeless assignment
for journalists" because while SO
many were gathered here, yet
nothing could be released about
specific military decisions Vaieh
have been made.
81 can assure you," he said,
that military decisions of utmost
Importance have been taken in
the Citadel. In years to come
Quebec is going to be famous for
these military decisions taken in
this city,
Asked whether the strategy map
ped here made this more I'M
portant conference than any be-
fore it at Washington, Casablanca
or in the Atlantic, Bracken related
a anecdote. He said that when
visitors once remarked to a Lon
don guide that the Thames was
a beautiful river. the guide explod-
ed: beautiful It's liquid 'istory."
Bracken remarked that because OF
the conference here he had come
to look upon the st. Lawrence as
liquid history"
About all that can be said OF
the work done here is expected to
be disclosed tomorrow by Presl-
dent Roosevelt and Prime Minis
ter Churchill in press confer
ence, a joint statement, or both.
The prime minister may elaborate
somewhat in his radio speech.
Foreign Minister Soong, who ar.
rived yesterday IN response to
last-minute summons from Mr..
Roosevelt, called at the presiden-
tial residence, high above the St.
Lawrence river, before lunch and
continued his discussions with the
president afterward.
Stephen Early, presidential Sec
retary, had declared earlier that
the Chinese minister's talks with
Mr.. Roosevelt would be concerned
with plans for smashing at Japan.
Early obviously was at some
pains to emphasize the work done
here on the war with Japan, and
this was further pointed up by the
arrivals here today of Secretary
of the Navy Frank Knox, whose
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