Evening star., 1944-09-19
Tragedy Of Chino Seen
Coming Out in Open
Plight of U. S. Units Well Known
in Washington, Says Observer

Plight of u. S. Units Well Known
in Washington, Says Observer
BY David Laurence
The tragedy of China Is coming out
into the open. For months there has
been plenty of censorship to keep the
American people from knowing that
China was not really q full-hedged
partner in the war against Japan and
that internal politics in China and
factional strife as well as corruption
have weakened the Chungking govern
ment ut q time when 1t was 80 i'm.
portant to build afr bases for the war
against Japan
Now the famous United States 14th
Air Force publicly reveals that 1t has
destroyed and virtually abandoned its
air bases near Kweilin and that this is
done because Of the advance Of the
Japanese armies. 1t Is something new
for American troops to be forced to de-
stroy air bases and retreat from the
enemy in the year 194Athree years
after our own entry into the war.
For many months the plight of the
small units Of American troops in China
has been well known in Washington.
Emissary after emissary has been sent
to Chungking in the hope Of finding
some means Of consolidating the Chi
nese factions, but without result.
China Badly Beaten.
Similarly, an effort was made to per-
suade Great Britain to pursue an ag-
gressive campaign in southeast Asia
from India 50 as to supply aid to Chang
kai-shek and to keep the Japanese
armies from cutting China in half But
the planning Of the Allies was faulty
and the supplies have not been forth
coming and now China is badly beaten
and virtually out of the war.
The inside story of why President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill
were unable to meet this situation will
not be known for some time, doubtless
because everything that happens be-
tween the President and the Prime
Minister is kept secret and a strict CEN
sorship imposed. 1t cannot be said that
the situation in China was not foy
seen or that it was unpredictable. Many
important facts about the Chinese
military situation were known as far
back as two years ago.
General Stilwell has been begging for
help for the American forces in China.
So has General Chennault. 1t was of
course, difhcult military problem be-
cause with the Burma Road closed
there was no way to get supplies into
China except by air, and it Is a des-
perate Undertaking to fly gasoline
over the Himalaya Mountains and con-
sumo fuel at the same time and try
to have some left for use from air
bases inside of China.
Nevertheless. the United States 14th
Air Force did make considerable prog
ress. But air power by itself is VAL
ueless without a ground army to sup
port and protect its bases. Because
Chinese manpower was not trained and
equipped In time and because Allied
| strategy failed to make use Of the
Chinese manpower the Allies must chalk
up their first major defeat in the Far
East.
Optimism on Outcome,
Optimism prevails, of course, as to the
ultimate outcome. The United States
Navy is expected to use its task forces
OF aircraft carriers to make a direct
attack on Japan but probably not until
tight blockade of sea power and the
effective work by our submarines have
taken big toll of Japanese shipping.
AS the Navy approaches from the CEN
trail Pacific. the United States Army
and land-based planes will move up
slowly through the Philippines toward
Formosa. Progress from the Aleutians
unquestionably is hampered by conste Mt
fog and bad weather. The Alaskan ap-
proach must be crossed OF.
The British government can still do
tremendous job in Southeast Asia
by concentrating her naval power on
the Malay peninsula and the Dutch
East Indies so as to harass the Japa
nese Navy in those areas and also to
cut the supply lines to the many hum
dreds OF thousands of Japanese troops
stationed in Burma and Indo-China
II the war were carried on intensiyely
IN Southeast Asia, the Chinese might
have chance some day to rebuild their
| army with aid from the China coast At
| such time as the American Navy opens
up port on that coast and begins to
introduce new supply line.
There are some optimists In ofiicial
Washington who think that Japan can
be defeated within 18 months after the
collapse Of Germany, but there are
others. particularly in our Navy, who
say that it still is going to be long,
| long war In the Pacific because China
and her manpower are as important to
the Japanese American war as Russia
and her manpower are to the European
war.
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