Evening star., 1944-09-18
Quebec Conference
HoIf Truths AssuiIed
Public Being Misled to Expect
Easy Victory, Says Lawrence
By David Laurence

oS e~sOAyS OSyo Ao"A SuSV
By David Laurence
When will candor be substituted for
ambiguity and the full truth issued in
stead Of partial truth after such mo-
mentous international conference as
has just been held at Quebec between
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill?
Surely military security" doesn't need
to cover up any longer the major blund-
ers that were made in 1942 and 1913 ia
planning the war against Japan. Also
the American people would be in bet
ter frame Of mind to face the tragic
months that Lie ahead in the Pacific IL
they were not being misled today into q
belief that the rest of the road to VIC
tory In this war is easy.
The ofdcial communique SAYS rather
naively that "the most serious difnculty
with which the Quebec Conference has
been confronted is to find room and
opportunity for marshalling against
Japan the massive forces which each
and all of the nations concerned are
ardent to engage against the enemy"
That's the literal truth and It tells q
lot but 1t Is only half-truth. For vhy
Isn't there room? Why is it that the
RAJ and the American Air Forces In
Europe can't find room" in the Far
East? Also, why is it that the Prime
Minister in apparent good humor SAYS
that the only point Of difference is about
the desire of the British for a greater
part in the Pacific war and that the diff.
ference was resolved amicably?
Our Own Navy Ample.
The answer is that the British are o,;,.
willing and anxious now to send their
navy alongside ours in the Pacific but
we don't need more naval strength
there. We have an ample Navy to pit
against the small japanese navy and it
would be a mistake to complicate the
problem by trying to put the British
and American navies into maneuvers
together when the American Navy al
ready has the situation in the Central
Pacific well in hand for any frontal at
tack on Japan or the China coast.
The fact Of the matter is that British
help was not forthcoming in 1912 and
ls43 when 1t was desperately needed
from the land side in order to open a
supply line from India into China. Sen
ator Chandler, Democrat, of Kentucky
OF the Senate Military Affairs Commit
tee told the story in q speech in the
Senate more than year ago but he
was lambasted for his criticism,
Today there isn't any room" for air
power in China because hardly any air.
fields or storage depots or bases are
available to us. This is because China Is
overrun by huge Japanese armies that
could have been beaten last year II the
Burma Road and other routes had
been reopened and Burma put out OF
the war.
Promise Withdrawn.
Admiral Mountbatten has been an ex-
cellent commander but Mr., Churchill
didn't back him up opportunely with
the necessary forces and supplies and
after the Chinese government was
promised certain aid at psychological
moment when the Japanese began their
drive inside China, that promise was
Withdrawn. The Quebec Conference
might better have admitted this mistake
and confessed its failure instead of draw
ing attention now rather Ianely to the
big distances" in the Pacific and the
"loglstics" or supply problem as If these
facts of geography had Just deyeloped
Everybody who knew anything about
the war against Japan and had a man
to study knew two years ago that the
way to bomb Japan on . 24-hour sched.
ule was from bases in China. TODAY
although Gems. Stilwell and Chennault
have begged for aid constantly for two
years, they are in danger Of losing the
Dig air bases they have possessed and
from which trickle of air power has
been used to the utmost advantage,
Except for the gallant fight at Yum
nan, the Chinese forces ARE badly
beaten and for all present purposes vir-
tuaily out Of the war;" according to a
New York Times editorial yesterday.
Why was British help denied us,
Why did President Roosevelt agree with
the British Prime Minister'S policy7
Why did our commander in chief not
insist on an effective military operation
inside China by the Allied forces last
year?
Is 1t possible that Mr.. Churchill Is
more persuasive with The President than
our own chiefs Of staff who, 1t Is re-
ported, presented a satisfactory plan of
operation to Gen. Chang Kai-shek at
the Cairo Conference last year only to
have 1t brushed aside at Teheran by Mr..
Churchlll-or was it by Mr. Stain?
Lives Are at Stake.
The public is entitled to know all thu
facts about these conferences. They are
not personal affairs to be conducted bv
amiable friends and boon companions
only to have the favorable, though
hitherto secret, details released later
through favorite chroniclers.
Lives are at stake. the lives of fins
american soldiers, sailors and airmen
who must now be landed somewhere in
the Far East in ever-increasing quaint.
ties and over long period of time
before we can beat Japan. Chinese
should have been trained and
equipped for that job.
1t took two and half years to pre.
pare an invading army of . million or
more men to 60 only 80 miles from Ply
mouth to cherbourg. How long must
1t take now to send an invading army Of
millions of Americans the 1000 miles or
more from the Philippines to Japan or