The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-15

son n, many people believe that Wilson's troubles with the Sen. ate would not have been so un. fortunate and that the peace structure he built at Versailles would not have been so dts. astrOusly rebuffed.
 QUEBEC CONFERENCE
 Intimate advisers with whom the President talked before leav. Ing for quebec got the definite impression that he planned to have Q friendly but frank show. down with the Prime Minister regarding certain Far Eastern problems which have ranked In Anglo American relations, Also the President was confident that this Quebec conference would. have more concrete results than that of one year ago,
 At the time of the last Que. bee meeting, August, l0AS, relR. tlOns with Russia were on ten. terhOoks. The second front had not yet been pledged to Stalln, there were rumOrs that Russia might even get out of the war, and the Allied picture generally was not bright enough Co permit the President persona ally to push certain Anglo. American differences too far,
 Nevertheless, the Presidents military and naval men did Q lot of pushing and, aS a result, tho last Quebec meeting was ono oi the most vigorous of theh entire war. The sparks literally flew around the Citadel,
 Now, one year later, almost exactly the same problem - the Tar East and Burma remain to be threshed out. And with the war going infinitely better, the Inside story of the last Que.
 bee conference can now be told.
 With the Prime Minister still not ready to start the second front in Western France, the President told him that the United States could not wait in the Pacific and must forge ahead, Accordingly, the problem of re- capturing the Burma Road, Sing apore and the Malays came up for vital discussion.
 To retake any part of them, the British fleet naturally was neces- sary. It was agreed that, after the Mediterranean had been cleaned up, the British fleet could be shifted to Indian waters. BRITISH DELAY
 The American Chiefs of Staff naturally were anxious to begin the Burma. Malay campaign soon. But the late Sir Dudley Pound, then First Sea Lord, said that His Majesty's warships would have to be returned from the Mediter- ranean to home waters to have their bottoms scraped and give their crews a rest.
 "When can they reach In- dian waters?" asked General Marshall.
 "In March or April" replied Sir Dudley POupnd.
 Pound was referring to the spring of l944 and. since the Que- bee conference was in August, l943, this meant delay of seven or eight months. So the amazed General Marshal shot back:
 But that's just about the be- ginning of the monsoon season." This, of course, meant several several months more delay because of the heavy rains.
 But the unpertudbed Admiral Pound replied: "Quite so, quite sO.'
 General Marshall. who can be very blunt. then told the British in effect that they were stalling ont he whole Far Eastern cam paign, and turned to Admiral Leahy for support. Admiral Pound very much resented Marshall's ac- cusation and said so. But Admiral Leahy vigorously backed Marshall up. Admiral Ernest King, com mander of the U. s. Fleet. sai6 nothing.
 This was just one of several fortnight military arguments which took place at Quebec last year. Good military men, of course, are picked because they have strong minds. and show downs of this kind frequently oc- cured between Allied leaders in the last war.
 However, this does not get
 away from the fact that today.
 one year and one month later. the Burma campaign is no more
 advanced, ner have any efforts
 ben tO retake Singapore eg She
 hAhlnys. Also @ 8 inescaRahIe
 that exactly the same problems.
 atet1lnf India. China and HlIls
 lah AHIayH lm enc Eur Rns nlN