Evening star., 1945-12-09
| Three New Books
Depict Closing Days
|Of War in Pacific

oy w tttLuHt OfuutOfU II " Q.
(Dutton; $275J
Here are three war books by
notable correspondents dealing with
very much the same situation-the
closing phases of the Pacific fight
ing and the postwar developments
in the Pacific theater. All are worth
reading.
Robert Sherrod, reporter for Time
Magazine and author of the widely
read "Tarawa," writes about the
taking of Saipan, Two Jima and
Okinawa, of all of which assaults
he was an eye witness. His method
is that of a complete factual OBJ
jectivity. He outlines the general
situation, then goes into the par
ticular campaign, describing its
strategy, personnel and equipment
and then takes up the actual attack
in minute terms of geograp ply,
topography, military units and in
dividual fighters. Rejecting the
overpersonalized style of reporting
used by some correspondents, he
keeps himself pretty much out of his
narrative except for employment
Of such necessary phrases as Il saw"
and Il heard" An eye witness of
the mass suicide of japanese civil
ians on Saipan, Mr.. Sherrod throws
frightening light on the fanaticism
of our late opponents-now. viewed
in many quarters as hopeful candi-
dates for democracy.
Max Miller's book deals with the
postwar situation of the American
Navy men who are now guarding
the atolls which must be considered
as our indispensable bases. AS his
books are apt to be, this one is
somewhat wistful in temper. 1t.
Comdr. Miller sympathizes with the
boys out there. So he gives us a
number of very touching incidents
illustrative Of their inconsistencies
and general fed-upness. But he
concludes that these bases must
none the less be held-and by Amer
leans. That they should be given
to some other power he considers
a FOOLS idea. The particularly in
teresting part OF his book is that
which deals with the native pop
ulations, which he rates high in
basic human virtues. Unlike the
Europeans, whose reception of our
liberating troops was usually one OF
eager acquisitiveness. the Pacific
peoples, he says, retain their in
tegrity in the face Of American
goods. Their children are not per.
mitted, much less instructed to beg
The book has the customary Mil
lerian beauty of style and is further
made ingratiating by very fint
photographs taken by 1t. Comdr
Charles E. Kerlee.
Both Mr.. Sherrod and Comdr
!, Miller mention the strenuous achiev.
ments of the celebrated Seabees il
their narratives. William Bradfors
HUE has written q whole bool
about those indefatigables. Hi
earlier work, Can Do" was an &C.
count Of Seabee performance in tn,
earlier stages of the war. In Prom
Omaha to Okinawa" he undertake.
to carry on that narrative. He doe
not, however, give any connected
report. His book is rather a serie.
OF episodes, heroic where they dea
with Seabee exploits and distinctly
earthly where they touch on Seabet
humor, There are CHAPTERS devoted
to Two Jima. Tinian, Saipan, Guam
the Philippines, Oklnawa and tn.
Normandy beachheads which were
known as Omaha and Utah. At the
back of the book is register of the
Seabee battalions and the place.
where each one worked, as we'll Al
collection of oficial Navy photo.
graphs. The tone of the work i.
rather aggressively "colorful."