Evening star., 1943-10-09
Report on the War

The report which has been sub
mitted to the Senate by those of its
members who have just completed a
40,000-mile tour of the battlefrontS
explores numerous aspects OF this
many-sided war. Although given at
closed sessions OF the Senate, the
essentials of the report have been
made public. and they point very
definitely to the conclusion that this
trip was we'll worth taking. The
committee members have come back
with a much better understanding
OF the problems facing our military
commanders than could possibly
have been obtained in Washington,
and they also have had opportunity
to examine at first hand some Of the
obstacles, rooted in national selfish
fullest Allied cooperation during the
war and Of plans for close collabora-
ton when hostilities are over. 1t is
a good thing to have unprejudiced
consideration Of these matters now,
and it is to be hoped that this will
not be the last trip to the war fronts
by members of Congress.
There Is one phase Of the report,
however, which may give rise to Sc
rious misunderstanding. Senator
Lodge Of Massachusetts, has been
quoted as telling his colleagues that
a million American lives could be
saved II Russia would give us access
to Siberian bases-an opinion pre-
sumably expressed to the Massachu-
sets Senator by some of our mill
tary commanders in the Pacific area.
This has given rise to the impression
that II Stain would only nod his
head in assent these bases would be-
come available to us, and that the
defeat OF Japan would then be
relatively simple operation. But this
assumption is very far from the fact.
The Russian maritime provinces
are in an exceedingly vulnerable
geographical position. Fronting on
the Sea OF Japan, the coastal area
lies behind the barrier OF the main
japanese islands, a barrier which
fully controls all Of the sea ap-
proaches to Vladivostok How are
we to get troops and supplies past
the main islands and through the
Sea Of Japan, where they would be
directly exposed to land-based air
attack and the full power OF the
japanese fleet?
Furthermore, the maritime prov
inces are covered on two sides by
strong japanese forces in Manchuria
and on lower Sakhalin Island. II
we were to be given bases in this area,
who would protect them against the
japanese attack that would surely
follow? Not us, certainly, for we
have neither the troops on the scene
nor the means Of getting them there
Obviously, these bases could be de-
Tended only with Russian forces, and
when we consider Stalins heavy
commitments in the west, what right
have we to expect him to undertake
such an added burden as this would
be? Finally, these bases, even if
they could be held, would be of little
value to us unless they could be ade-
quately supplied. Since We cannot
supply them by sea, the only alterna-
tive would be the long haul across
Russia on a railroad that is hardly
capable of serving present needs.
1t may be that Stain has no in
tention of making these bases avail
able to us under any conditions. But
certainly it is both unfair and harm
full to create the impression that he
is maliciously denying us access to
them when the fact is that we could
not use them if they were available.
To open the maritime provinces to
our planes now probably would serve
no better purpose than to throw that
territory into the hands of the
japanese, and it is absurd to suggest
that this is something which Stain
should be willing to do.