The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-02-11
. Clapper
Doing II the Hard
Way in the Pacific
Aid TO China One Way
To Soften Japanese
Complete Job One for
United Nations
Action Needed TO Back
Offering Words
Nv RAYMOND CL.APPER

around here think our longest
and hardest war is the one in the
Pacific.
The more We see of il. the more
convinced some people are that
In the Pacific we are going at 1t
the hardest and slowest way. and
that we can defeat Japan only
through China
American marines landed on
Guadaicanal six months ago. They
have fought hard and under APP
palling hardships. Soldiers have
replaced many Of the marines.
It is primitive warfare and pain
fully slow. After six months the
Japs are just being cleared off
this tiny island. II 10 20 miles
long and 30 miles wide.
How long will IL take. at that
rate, 10 clear the Japs out Of the
scores Of islands they occupy be-
tween Guadalcanal and Tokyo?
To clean out every Japanese air
field between the Solomons and
Tokyo by landing and cutting our
way through will take more time
than there is TO be had. Eddie
Rickenbacker came back from
there and said il would take too
long to win the war that way.
MANY military men must be
thinking the same thing.
We can only win this war with
the help of allies. II will be won
IN Europe only with the help Of
the Russians. II will be won in
the Pacific only with the help OF
China, and vast amounts of lend
lease.
The chief criticism Of lend
lease in congress now Ii that
II has not provided more sup
niles TO China. Those who
heard President Rooseveit's
annual message to congress
remember that the loudest
applause came Mt his refer
ences TO China.
The instinct there points to the
reality, which is that victory in
the Pacific will come through our
working with China, and not by
homeland naval warfare pune
tuated with island landings.
That this view is entertained In
high quarters was indicated by
what was said at luncheon here
this week concentrating the
new treaties which end 100 years
of extraordinarily in China.
Vice President Wallace said we
were living for the day when
there would be hundreds of air
planes on the mainland of China
to strike at Japan. He said 1t
would come, and that he hoped
IN addition to words, planes and
more planes soon would be going
TO China. Stanley X. Hornoeck,
adviser TO Secretary of State
Hull, said that we would get
planes to China, but that there
must be patience.
Until the time comes when we
can retake Burma and open up
supply line to China to replace
the fragile and inadequate air
supply now going over the dan
eerous mountain ranges from In
dia. there won't be much prog
ress in getting planes TO China.
We could get the planes In. but
there must also be gasoline. spare
engines. bombs and ammunition.
China has the airfields, within
striking distance Of Japan. But
they. like all of Free China. wait
for help from the arsenal here.
Meanwhile, we have done
something to hearten the
Chinese, during their long
wait for help, by wipins out
the hundred-year-old extra
territoriality hated by China
- letters Of Western Inn
perialism. That Is one of the
few actions taken 10 fulfill
the postwar aims Of the At
lnutic charter and the United
Nations. China has held
three day celebration, the
first such pause In five years
Of war.
A Gen. Chu Shih-Ming, Chi
nese military attache here, says,
this action has undercut Japa-
nese propaganda which for years
has tried to make China believe
the democracies would never give
up any of the special and I'M
equal privileges in the Orient
such action, as the Chinese say,
strengthens the case OF the United
Nations all over the world
It IL unfortunate that we are
not moving more theoretically in
that kind of political action to
hack up several million glitter
ing words about freedom that
have been uttered on the Allied
side. A United Nations council
should have been created long
ago. 1t could have taken charge
Of the North African affair snc
turned that demoralizing political
headache into an opportunity to
show what the Allied war aims
mean in action
Some Of the new slang at
tributsd TO the troops has a GER
tain spscious ring, but China
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