The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-18
erpreting
The War
BY ELTON C. FAY

BY ELTON C. FAY
Associated Press News Analyst
With the arrival today monday
of General Eisenhower Washing
tons visitor list will contain the
name of about every top ranking
American commander except
General Douglas Macarthur.
At one time OF another during
the last three and half years
of war the various commanders
Army and Navy have come 20
Washington for conferences. 1t has
been over six years since Mac
Arthur has been in the capital.
He was in the Philippines as
commanding general of the Far
Eastern command when the Jap
anes estruck. With the fall of Cor
regidor he set up his headquarters
in Australia, then staged it north,
invasion by invasion, until his re-
turn to Manila. During the war
Macarthur closest approach to
the United States has been his trip
to Hawaii year ago when the
late President Roosevelt asked MIN
to meet there for a conference.
1t should be pointed out that 1t
is customary fol- commanders to
journey to Washington during war
time only at the invitation or dl-
rection of either the White House
or the departmental chiefs or. II
they have "ome transcendent
reason.
There is no present Indication of
any early visit to Washington by
the supreme commander of Allied
Forces in the southwest Pacific
and commander OF Army forces in
the Pacific. Details necessary to
implement strategical plans appar-
emily are being discussed in on
| the-scene conferences in Mac
Arthur's own back yard.
These conferences can do moth.
ing help to settle the Japanese
fear of new and even more fierce
onslaughts in the not distant flu
ture.
| General H. H. Arnold air forces
chief arrived in the Western Pa.
cific last week being reported first
at Guam. There is expectation that
he too will talk with Macarthur
before his return to the United
States.
This turns attention to current
question in the Pacific ocean area
how much of the Ar1ny's air
power is destined to be under COM
mand of General George C. Ken
ney's Allied air forces in the South
Pacific area and how much is to
be under the Goth Air Force. The
commanding general of the goth IS
Arnold the Deputy Commander
1t. Gen. Barney Giles who also
is commanding general of air fore
es for the Pacific ocean area.
Kenney's command presently in.
cludes various types of fighters
medium bombers BIAS and SINH
lar craft. 1t is under the overall
command of Macarthur. The 20th
Airforce on the other hand is an
independent agency operating sep
arately from Macarthur although
subject to the general strategic di-
rection of the joint chiefs of staff
in Washington.
Up until now the Goth Air Force
has had all the Bog bombers op-
Grated by the 2lst Bomber COM
mand based in the Marianas and
the Goth Command in Asia. The
War Department announced last
month that the 9th Airforce which
had bombed German targets with
BITS and B-24s was being rede.
ployed to the Pacific under its old
commander Gen. James H. Doc
lite Subsequently the Depart
ment made terse announcement
that BIOS will be included in the
9th Airforce. The question OF
whether the 9th would be part of
Kenney's command or operate as
a unit of the Goth Air Force was
not answered.
Arnold's journey to the Pacific
may be followed by an announce
ment regarding the status of the
9Th.