Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-02-10
Nl'ARTHUR
MOVING?
BY tO
Van Alta

" LUZON, Feb. 9 GNS)-
Headquarters OF the L. S. Army
forces in the Far East will be
established within the city linn
its of Manila within a matter OF
hours, according TO indications
today.
Once again, the Far Eastern
policies-military, civil and eco
noHaic-ef the worlds greatest
economic and military power
seem on the verge of being CEN
traliZed in the capital city OF
the Asiatic hemisphere.
AS much as IL is an hour OF
national triumph for America,
II is even more an hour of per-
sonal triumph for Douglas Mac
Arthur.
4 ND none knows more than
"A he how many times his per-
sonal and military life has been
under criticism and fire for his
answering and -outSpoken adj
herence TO one creed: that the
Philippines must be freed before
an offensive against the Japa-
nese mainland is organized.
Today, most of the archipel-
ago is freed and its great natu-
raj wealth will swiftly be opened
to nations which are in dire need
of those raw materials
Today, its great ports. air in
stallationS. trained military re-
serves and staging areas and.
perhaps equally important. its
huge and enthusiastic native
labor pool is available for the
next moves In the war against
Japan.
BY his own yeIled admlss
in statement. Macarthur 4
his skilled staff now wait ito be
called upon for his next i'm
portant assignment on the large
chessboard which is the Pacific
war.
THIS can mean only that he
L has completed all directives
assigned him by the supreme
commanders OF the vast globular
conflict. and presently has not
authority to advance against
either FormoSa or the China
+ coastal within 500 miles OF
his present advanced stepping
stones.
VIII Macarthur, As Specula-
ton from other areas has sug-
gested, be confined 10 the Phil
ippines and Netherlands Indies
mop-up2
VIII he join Adm. Nimitz in a
great dual drive pointed toward
Japan, as was strongly sug-
| gested last summer?
These are questions which APP
Pafentfy can be answered only
at a meeting of the Big Three.
/ but this much is certain: Within
a matter of weeks. Macarthur
will have sufficient air and
naval bases TO advance IN any
( direction he is ordered 10 or
chooses 10 take.
On the basis of his seniority
and experience in complex Pa
cifc commands, his exclusion
! from early and effective often
sIve action and leadership seems
improbable.
! DELYING almost entirely on
IL his own limited air, ground
and amphibious team, MacAr-
thur in the last year has made
a series of strategical and tacti-
cal decisions which undoubtedly
| have altered the whole couA
/ of this war.
His first and most important
decision came IN the summer OF
1912 when he determined 10
gamble exactly one-half his
ground force sirens th-one
American and one Australian
division--on holding then vIr-
tually beleaguered New Guinea.
He won the gamble at Buna
two years ago this month and
then conserved his forces for
six more months until he was
ready 10 spring a sustained
Steamroller that has moved
practically without respite for
II months.
/ nURINC that period he has
~ mounted series OF amphib-
jous and airborne operations to-
falling 18 in number and ranging
in distance from 200 10 900
miles. What Nips he has left
behind are either already buried
or are isolated and being con-
tanned by combined American
Australian holding forces.
In the successful past, too,
are 5000 Japanese aircraft de-
stroyed, upward Of million and
an half tons of enemy shipping
sunk and approximately half
million Japanese who never will
fight again.
MacArthur's combined battle
losses in the three-year period
total fewer than $4,000 casual
ties Of all types which is a fig.
ure less than the number of
( Americans officially announced
as lost in the western front
break-through in December.
IN TWO occaSions--Leyte and
" Luzon - these advances
would have been m possible
without the tremendous support
given by the Pacific fleet.
On the other hand, the %