Evening star., 1943-09-22
Churchill Reports

Fresh from his long absence in
the United States and Canada, Prime
Minister Winston Churchill yester-
day gave an accounting Of his politi-
cal stewardship before the British
House Of Commons-that august
body of which he is at once the
leader and the servant. Mr.. Church
ills periodic statements before the
House are always notable events.
His latest report is an unusually full
and broad survey of both the war
itself and the diplomatic activities
occurring behind the battle fronts.
No important phase of the world
situation was omitted in his verbal
canvass, delivered with trenchant
inciSiveness, disarming candor, and
felicity of phrase.
Early in his address, Mr. Churchill
frankly tackled the question of Italy,
making some interesting disclosures
To begin with, we learn that elimina-
ton of Italy from the war was de-
cided upon by himself and President
Roosevelt as the chief immediate
objective during their conference in
Washington last May. Military
preparations were pushed with the
utmost speed, and the results
achieved in Sicily and the subse-
uuent invasion OF the Italian main
land exceeded in rapidity the original
expectations. Certain plans, such
as an Allied surprise landing at
Rome, did not materialize, owing to
German alertness and preparedness
But Mr.. Churchill refuted vigorously
charges that time was wasted or that
undue reliance was placed on Italian
cooperation. Such an accusation,
he asserted lis as ill-founded in, fact
as it is wounding to those bereaved.
The timing of our main attack on
Italy was fixed without the slightest
reference to the attitude Of the
italian government"
Mr.. Churchill seems to have cleared
up what may be termed the Musso-
lini mystery. The surrender OF Ii
Duce to the Allies was agreed upon
in the secret negotiations with the
Badoglio government, but he could
not be handed over without expos
ing the whole capitulation arrange
ment to the Germans. Mussolini was
held in a mountain retreat mac
ceSsible except to paratroops-a con-
tingency that had not been fore
seen. However, his guards had
orders to shoot him in case OF an
attempted rescue, but they failed to
do their duty, and Hitler recovered
his tarnished tool-for whatever 1t
may be worth.
The Prime Minister set the Italian
venture in its due perspective with
other war aspects. Remarking that
the Italian surrender was wind
fall but it had nothing to do with
the date of harvesting the orchard,
he stated that the Mediterranean
campaign has never been regarded
as "a substitute for a direct attack
across the English Channel but as
IAN essential preliminary to the main
attack upon Germany and her ring
of subjugated and satellite states.
He then asserted categorlcally that
such an attack would be made, but
cave no hint of when it would come.
With the ordeal of Salerno barely
over and memories of Dieppe unfor-
gotten, the difficulties attending an
opening of the conventional second
front" must have been obvious to
his parliamentary audience.
Highly encouraging were Mr..
Churchill's words on the cumulative
progress of Allied air superiority and
the dramatic rout of the U-boat
menace during recent months. He
clearly enviSaged the possibility OF
Germany's being knocked out from
the air, but cautioned his hearers not
to count upon speedy victory in
Europe. Turning to the Far East,
the Prime Minister stated that ia
pans basic weakness is the rapid
attrition of her ships and planes,
both of which are being lost faster
than they can be replaced. He said
that the Quebec conference was
largely devoted to the Pacific war,
and intimated that Lord Mountbat-
tens forthcoming assumption OF
command in India would initiate
events of great significance in that
area of hostilitieS.
Throughout his lengthy survey,
the Prime Minister spoke with an air
of serene confidence in both the i'm
mediate and the remoter future,