Evening star., 1943-02-03
Legislators
Warned Of
Long War
Presidents Report
On African PorIey
Shows Allied Unity
by DAVID LAWRENCE.


with the job Of setting up the i'm
mediate assignments Of war opera
tions than with psychological or
morale considerations, important
though these may be.
What Is significant is the impress
sion carried away by the President
from . first-hand observation of
and contact with commanders in
the field. The Associated Press re-
port after the Presidents confer
ence on Monday with leaders Of the
Republican and Democratic party
contains this interesting sentence:
There was no promise Of any
quick conclusion for the war, legis-
lators said, but rather a warning
that the fighting may go on for a
lang time and that lives are going
b have to be sacrificed to bring
about victory"
This Is but another way Of saying
that despite the confidence that is
exuded by unconditional surrender"
demands from our side, the road
ahead is long and costly in man
power and materials.
Realistic View.
This view, moreover, Is the real
lstic one which Washington o{Iicials
have at times unwittingly obscured
with their enthusiastic statements
about the progress made toward ul-
innate victory.
It is important that the public
maintain . sense Of proportion and
It Is apparent that the President
himself realizes there sometimes Is .
difference between the confident
phrases Of the formal announce
ments and the hard-boiled realities
Of the whole situation.
Military men. in high places par
Hcularly, point out that the spec
tacular beginning Of the North
Africa campaign led many people In
the United States to believe that
victory was just around the corner.
What the President said this week
to Legislators which Is leaking out
to the press puts the situation In
It's proper perspective.
It, Is worth noting also that the
President's references to the war
In the Pacific also have taken on
realistic conception. Reporting the
President as having said that the
war Of attrition was having . tell
ing, though slow, effect on Japan,
the Associated Press adds:
Jap Ship Lessss.
There have been estimates that
Japan started the war With 5000 900
tons Of shipping and 1000 planes,
but has been losing the battle 70
replace those which hsye heen lost
IN fighting thus far"
4 what has not been disclosed. how
ever, Is how much Of Americas
shipping has been allocated to the
Pacific and how much Of our
planes. And 1t Is . safe assumption
that Japan far outnumbers us on
both counts. which Is one reason
why naval men have been urging
that . larger and larger share Of
American production should be
turned over 1t once for use In the
Pacific. Maybe the point has been
duly weighed by the Casablanca
conference.
One thing concrete has just come
out through the press dispatches
passed by the censor 1T Allied head
quarters In North Africa and that's
the skillful way the perplexing
problem Of command has been dis
posed Of.
An American-Lt. Gen. Eisenhow-
er-b to be in supreme command,
but under him will be three British
chiefs Of air. land and sea, respec-
lively. This appears to be . COM
promise satisfactory to Prime MIN
lister Churchill and British public
opinion q well as to President
Roosevelt and our own high COM
mand.
Choice Due 70 Experience.
The dispatches say the choice was
made because Gen. Eisenhower Is
"the only man who has had ex-
perience in directing mixed COM
mands on q large scale, and it was
understood that President Roose-
welt and Prime Minister Churchill
are satisfied with his work"
This is hint of. the sort Of prob
lem that has hitherto confronted
the heads Of the British and Amer
tcan governments and it is graft
flying to observe that it has been
tactfully solved with everybody hap
py all around. Yet the decision was
and Is of the utmost Importance.
American generals retain control Of
the whole western operation In
North Africa with possible offensive
tasks II Hitler should come through
Spain to Spanish Morocco, and
Britain controls the eastern area
from Tunisia eastwards. But an
American commander in chief con-
trolls the whole Mediterranean the
ater Of operation.
Here is an example Of unity of
command and unity Of spirit be-
tween America and Britain which
augures well for the future OF the
United Nations cause.
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