Evening star., 1944-10-31

la 1uQld allu Rul IuU OGlOIlS 10 zen.
Chang, who has power to with
draw or transfer those troops back
tdSChina.
If Chang wished, he could recall
these troops-although he probably
won't because 1t certainly would
slow down the Ledo road project,
which is intended to bring more
supplies to China.
Some things are simplifled. Gen.
Stilwell used to be the independent
commander Of the Chinese In North
Burma, although technically he also
was under British 1t. Gen. William
j. Slim, who was commanding Lord
Mountbatten's troops in the Burma
area.
In turn. however. Gen. Slim was
technically under Gen. Stilwell be-
cause the latter also was Lord
Mountbatten's deputy.
Shifting of Personnel Seen.
AS it happened. Gems. Slim and
Stilwell were good friends and used
to 60 through a mock ceremony in
which Gen. Stilwell would come
abruptly to attention and ask: ANY
further orders, sir?" Gen. Slim
would reply, mo" Then Gen. Slim
would come to attention and ask:
ANY further orders, sir?" And
Gen. Stilwell would solemnly reply,
No" Then both would grin and
get back to work.
Now Gen. Sultan is directly under
Lord Mountbatten and not partly
under Gen. Chang, so that play
fulness is ended. But still not quite,
because Gen. Sultan still commands
the Chinese. who are merely on loan.
Much conferring has to be done to
iron out the division of this theater.
but this already is in progress. I'll
Is likely, for instance, that corre-
Spondents will be able to operate
freely between the two theaters as
before and that there will be a cer-
tain amount Of shifting of person.
ne! between theaters without much
red tape.
The main American directive in|
this theater continues to be to
supply China and Gen. Chennault's
l4th Air Force, and that has
oeen unchanged by the division
But what will happen when the
Ledo roadway is made safe from
Japanese interference and the
American Air Force In india no
longer is required for this Job? win
it help the British recapture Sinpa-
pore? There is no answer to that
yet.
But by the time that question
needs answering the British prob
ably will have plenty of air strength
freed from Europe and NAV not
need American fighters and bombers
here.
One thing is certain: The depart-
ure OF Gen. Stilwell has convinced
many that the China-India area is
not awfully important any more
successes in the Philippines also
nave helped to make that clear.
Brooks Atkinson, New York Times
correspondent who has just returned
from Chungking, says in the Time.
today that recall of Gen. Joseph w
Stllwel may mean that the United
States has decided from now on to
discount China's part in a counter
offensive"
Inside China it tthe recalD rep
resents the political triumph OF a
moribund antidemocratic regime
that is more concerned with main
tanning its political supremacy than
IN driving the Japanese out of
China" Mr.. Atkinson wrote in q
page one story.
Mr.. Atkinson said Generals
simo Chang Kai-shek had de-
manded that he be removed and
that President Roosevelt agreed to
the generalissimo's demand"
The fundamental difference be-
tween the generalissimo and Gen.
Stilwell," Mr.. Atkinson wrote. has
been that the latter has been eager
to fight the japanese in China
without delay and the generalissimo
has hoped that he would not have
to-"
Mr. AtK1pson said that as the
negotiations with Maj. Gen. Patrick
]. Hurley progressed Chiang's atti-
tude became stiff and hostile" and
that after a private meeting this
month of the Standing Committee
OF the Kuomintang tnational party)
Central Executive Committee, the
generalissimo announced the terms
of his personal ulttmatium to Amer
leans who were pressing him for
military and government reform"
He declared that Gen. Stilwell
must go, that the control Of Amer
lean lease-lend materials must be
put in his hands, and that he would
not be coerced by Americans into
helping to unity China by making
terms with the Chinese Commun-