Evening star., 1943-08-25
The Quebec Report

AS was to have been expected. the
! Joint statement issued by President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill at the conclusion, of the
Quebec conference divulges little
specific information. In general
way, however, it conveys the distinct
impression that momentous decisions
have been made and that the plans
for implementing them have been
completed
1t would be we'll for the people of
this country to note the absence of
any suggestion in the statement that
the war Is going to be over at an
early date. The belief that the war
in Europe will be finished by Christ
mas is widely held, but there is
nothing whatever to indicate that
Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Churchill
share this optimistic view. On the
contrary, despite the emphasis
placed by them on the prosecution
OF the fight against Japan, the whole
tenor of their statement points to
the conclusion that their plans are
based on a long, hard war against
the Germans.
In this connection it is interesting
to note the comment that in both
the Pacific and the European fields,
the President and the Prime Min
lister were able to receive and ap-
prove the unanimous recommends
tions of the combined chiefs of staff"
Furthermore, agreement was reached
upon the political issues underlying
or arising out of the military oper-
ations. This Is important, for it
clearly implies that a final decision
has been made on the so-called
Second-front issue, and that Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr.. Churchill have
settled upon the political strategy
which will support that decision.
Following this is the paragraph
in which the two men announce
their intention to hold another con-
ference before the end of the year.
and In which they also express the
hope that it will be possible to ar
range a tripartite meeting with
Soviet Russia. Then comes this
seemingly significant sentence: Full
reports of the decisions, so far as
they affect the war against Germany
and Italy, will be furnished to the
Soviet government"
1t is always dangerous to attempt
to read more into language of this
sort than appears on the surface,
but, If this particular sentence is a
considered statement, two conclu-
sions seem warranted Cd Stain is
not to be informed of the decisions
made with regard to the stepping up
OF the war against Japan. 1t is diff
cult to accept this as being literally
correct, since the two theaters of
action cannot be separated in a
military sense. Any decision made
with respect to the Pacific inevitably
influences the decision with regard
to Europe, and 1t is difficult to see
how an adequate picture of the
latter could be given to the Russians
while keeping them in the dark TAT
their own request) concerning the
effort to be made against Japan. If
the statement was intended to be
taken literally, however, it raises the
suggestion that the future may bring
a diminishing rather than a growing
held OF common interest between
Britain and the United States on the
one hand and Russia on the other.
t2) Stain does not know what deci-
sions were made concerning the con-
Duct OF the war against Germany
and Italy, because the Joint state
ment says he will be" fully informed
regarding them. In other words. be-
cause of RusSia's unwillingness to
participate in these discussions. il
has been necessary for Mr.. Roosevelt
and Mr.. Churchill to make an indie
pendent decision on a vital aspect of
the war. No doubt every considera-
ton was given to Stalin's point of
view, as far as it could be ascer-
tanned, but the fact remains that the
President and the Prime Minister
have been forced into the unsatis-
factory position of having to lay
plans for the British and American
effort in Europe without being able
to tie these plans directly to the
EFFORT that Russia is making. This is
not healthy state of affairs. but if
the results should be bad the re-
sponslbility will rest on the Soviet
government.