The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-08-12
WNU Service, Union Trust Building
Washington. d. c.

WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. c.
No victory over Japan before l949?
When that sentiment was broad
cast from Washington by Vice Adj
miral Horne under the aegis of Sec
rotary Knox, a good many eyebrows
were raised here in the capital. Of
course, it is fully realized here that
once the American people think the
war is in the bag. they will be ready
to resume the plowshare and the pen
as. simple citizens again, not as dol
lar-a-year men or munitions work
ers or victory gardeners or ration
ers or any of the other things we
don't like. So Washington can't af-
ford to be overoptimistic. But l949
is long, long way off
When Admiral Halsey finally adj
mitted that the capture Of the inn
portant air base Of Munda was
within reach" il looked like an
other easy victory scored and that
Tokyo ought to trembe.
About Distances
But how much nearer are we to
Tokyo? Get map of Asia. includ-
ing the Solomon Islands and if you
can identity the little specks which
are Guadalcanal where our main
base lies. and Rabaul, our objec-
tive, note the distance between, and
then see how much farther il is to
Tokyo. It's as far as from New
York to Casablanca.
And there is lot of difference
between the two roads. When we
sent our troops over the Atlantic to
Africa, il was pretty nearly our pond
there wasn't an Axis base en-
route. The Pacific is studded with
Japanese bases.
There are two powerful Jap
strongholds, much better protected
than Munda right in the Solomon
Islands, on Bougainville island and
Rabaul, the hub Of the Japs' empire
in the Southwest. Beyond, over a
long stretch of water, is the little
island of Truk, said to be the main
Jap naval base in the Pacific.
From New Britain, where Rabaul
is located, it is $50 miles to Tokyo
further than from Tunisia to the
northern tip of Norway.
In order to realize why we are
still so far away from our objective
in the Pacific war, we have to con-
slider what 1t took to get as far as
we have already gone. 1t took six
months, some terribly gruelling
fighting, and many lives, to capture
the little island of Guadalcanal. 1t
took another five months before the
Allies were ready to start their sec
ond offensive movement with the
final capture of Rabaul as the OBJ
jective. Progress at this rate and
with this type of island to-island adj
vance is taken for granted by those
who put l949 as the date when Japan
will be vanquished
Defensive Action
1t took Macarthur approximately
as long to turn back the Japs on
New Guinea, fighting to reach Port
Moresby, and to capture their key
point of Buna, so they could move
on Salamaua and Lac driving the
enemy out foot by foot from these
pretty much isolated points.
The fighting, up until the drive be-
ginning with the capture of Rendova
on June 80, has been nothing more
than offensive-defensive. Before that
the effort, and a successful one, was
to keep the Japs from attacking
Australia from Port Moresby, from
Selling the Solomons and making the
Australian east coast vulnerable and
to save the life line of men and
supplies moving from America to
Australia.
Only now, summer 1943, are we
really taking offensive action in the
Southwest Pacific and. as I said. if
you look at "a map of Asia which
shows all Of the territory held by the
Japanese, you will see that what
we have won since our offensive
really began is very thin silver,
geographically speaking In enemy
electives destroyed, il has been
larger in proportion, but the navy
men in Washington who talk about
194o speak with conservative geo
graphical accent.
Diary of a Broadcaster
Isn't it aWfully dull in WASHINGTON