Evening star., 1945-02-01
jap Moves in China
Seen ProIongine War
Air Power Alone Won't Bring
Victory to u. S., Says Writer
BY David Laurence

Dp D0fQ Laurence
With most of Americas attention
focused on the Russian advance in
Europe, few people realize that the
war in the Far East contains some
bad aspects for the United States.
News that the Japanese have sue
ceeded In capturing control of the
Canton -Hankow railroad, thus cutting
China in two, Is the elimination of a
tragic defeat suffered by the Allies.
For the average American doesn't
look at the map often and he doesn't
see that while the United States Navy
and considerable proportion of our
ground troops under Gen. Macarthur
are being kept occupied 1900 miles
from Japan, the Japanese are arrang-
ing for defenses on the Asiatic main
land which could conceivably prolong
the war for many years.
The American people are being led
to believe once more that air power
can defeat Japan. But just as Prime
Minister Churchill and others in high
places abroad stimulated the belief
that air power could bring Germany
to her knees, only to discover that big
land armies were necessary, so in the
Far East the capture of the Philippines
and the seizure of important island
bases is adding up to a mistaken i'm
preston widely conveyed that victory
over Japan is not far distant.
Gen. StilweI Knows.
Gen. Joseph Stilwell, who knows
China about as well as any American
and who has been given the Job of
training our ground forces, is under
no illusions about the need for huge
land armies to fight Japan on Ash
attic mainland. Many vital factories and
sources of supply have been established
by the japanese in Manchuria and in
various parts of China The Japanese
have tremendous supply of manpower
available, and it will be necessary for
an Allied army of possibly 25OO,00o
men, we'll equipped and motorized, to
be deployed in China before final VIC
| tory is assured.
Chinese manpower is available if
| America furnishes the equipment.
Russian manpower may become avail
able if Russia denounces her treaty
with Japan which expires in April,
1916. Harry Hopkins has just been
quoted in Rome as saying that America
is proceeding in the Far East on the
assumption that Russian help will not
be available This is a safe way to
plan, but it is confidently hoped that
Russian help will nevertheless be joined
with ours.
For the task of defeating Japan on
land is one that the United States
cannot expect to do alone unless three
airy estimates as to the time needed
for victory. The British can supply
more naval power, but that is not so
necessary. What is needed is infantry,
artillery, tanks and all the supplies
that 60 with big land army.
Can Open Supply Lines.
The American Navy is quite capable
of opening up supply lines to the north
of the Philippines, and, with the Brit
ish Nays help in the South China
Sea, can cut off the Japanese sources
of supply in the Netherlands East In
dies and blockade Japan itself But
the big necessity is for infantry, and
unless 100000 or more troops now
fighting in Europe are, after brief fur
loughs, to be shipped to the Far East
to fight in China, there must be some
other source of manpower. Apparently
dependence must be placed on China
and her manpower or else later on
Russia.
The japanese today are getting con-
troll of strategic highways and railways
which can materially increase our
difficulties and prolong the war. The
vast air power available from Europe
will need big bases These must be
obtained on the China coast close
enough to Japan for fighter planes to
be used to escort our bombers.
American sea power has won con-
troll Of the seas close to China and
Japan. The Army Air Forces, following
this up splendidly, have clinched pos
session of the bases and the B-29s
are doing heroic job of harassine
factories on Japan itself. But the main
job has not yet been begun-the job
of winning ports in China for q huge
Allied land army to enter so as tc
join up with Chinese manpower yet
to be trained.