Evening star., 1943-01-05
The Wars Busic Dilemma

ence between World War One and
Two. In Number One, there was a
single outstanding enemy. This was
Imperial Germany. Austria-Hun-
gary, Bulgaria and Turkey were
ideologically insignificant. Further
more, they were physically connected
with one another, forming a geo.
graphically solid block, self styled
the Central Powers Caught in a
wise from the very start by a grow
ing ring of opponents, their reduc-
ton presented both the strategic
and logistic aspects of giant siege.
BaSically different is the situation
in the present conflict. Even before
hostilitieS broke out in Europe, the
predatory alliance which we are now
fighting throughout the world was
strategically JanuS-faced. The Ber-
lin RomeTokio Axis was physically
not a connected whole The domi-
nant factors, Hitlerite Germany and
militarized Japan, were materially
ouliNlSlSo Ny tllotooIlOo VI VI
land and sea. Yet strategically, each
possessed large measure of mutual
self Sufficiency, while ideOlogically
one was certainly as tough as the
other. Indeed, it may we'll turn out
that Japanese morale is the tougher
of the two.
Japan's amazing cOnqueStS during
the first year after its entry into
the general war raised the most OBJ
Stlnate dilemma in the grand STRAIT
egy Of the United Nations. When
Winston Churchill took the reigns
in Britain in the dark hour after
the Dunkirk disaster, he cOrcen-
trated ruthleSSly on Germany as the
supreme foe. This was, if possible,
even truer of Soviet Russia when
Hltler'S attack forced it into the
fray. The Roosevelt administration
adopted the same attitude even
while America was still technically
neutral, and was not SWayed from
its purpose by the treaCnerous stab
at Pearl Harbor The past thirteen
have seen the weight of our war
effort thrown mainly against the
European end of the Axis. culminat-
ing in our expeditionary force to
North Africa, which inevitably ilr-
poses upon us commitments Of great
and expanding scope. In Washing
ton, as in London and Moscow, Hit
ler first" is undoubtedly the mott
waiting formula.
However, there is another school
of thought in the ranks of the United
countries like China, Australia and
New Zealand, exposed to the full
fury of the Japanese peril, tend to
emphasize that end of the Axis The
spokesmen of Free China, which was
fighting a desperate battle against
japanese aggression years before the
start of the world conflict, nurse an
understandable grievance that so
little aid has been given them by
their Western allies The North
African expedition, hailed with such
jubilation in Britain, and with gen.
eral approval in America and Russia,
evoked uneasiness in Chungking and
Canberra, which interpreted the
move as further adjournment of
that shift in United Nations STRAIT
egy to the Far East and the Pacific
deemed vital to Chinese and Aus
tralian leaders before Japan has
consolidated it's conquests. We Amer
leans are also not without warning
voices like that of Ambassador Grew,
urging that, at the very least, the
war against Japan be no longer con-
Quoted on ShoeString.
These contrasting viewpoints in
grand strategy will doubtless persist
as long as the tWo-fold war against
the Axis has to be Waged in mill
tarily closed compartments. How the
Allied high command will apportion
their total striking power is, of
course, a profound secret. But the
problem remains, and will continue
to test the insight and vision of our
leaders.