Imperial Valley press., 1945-01-11
THE LONG ROAD IN
PACIFIC HAS TURNED

measured by anxiety and impatient wait
ing, yet all too short when given as the
allotted time to make good on ill-consider-
ed boasts.
And so Macarthur did wait two years
and ten months to set foot back on land
few miles from Bataan and Corregidor.
And soon it will be known that the boast
full Jap General Yamashita wasted his
golden hours in anticipation of the an
inhalation of any armed force Macarthur
risked in fulfilling his promise to the
soldiers and people he left behind that
dark day when he left to establish head
quarters in far off Australia to build the
road back.
But he is back and he landed an army
of 100000, carried to the very spot where
the Japs started their invasion-the Gulf
of Lingayen. From there, on the west
erly side of Luzon, main island of the
Philippines, the murderous Nips went
on their killing spree to Manila, Bataan
and Corregidor.
There are many scores to settle with
Hirohito and his cut-throats there on
that island. Macarthur has in mind the
leaders who thought out and executed
the March of Death" never out-done in
the war of barbarity in the entire his
tory of warfare since the world began.
There is the score of the wholesale and
wilful murder to thousands of natives of
the Islands, soldiers and civilians.
Unless the vainglorious congueror of
Singapore and other places in his months
of crime, turns tail and runs, he will as
surely be called to account as the sun
rises and sets. He has not the ghost of
right to expect the rights of warrior,
much less that of conqueror.
Reports have il that YamaShita has
10000 picked troops at his command.
Let us hope it is double that number, for
whatever his army, it is doomed. There
may be a showdown battle; and there
may not be any greater resistance than
the feeble showing when the Yanks land
ed Tuesday. 1t rests on the Jap killer.
Strategists say the battle, if fought will
be on the plains outside Manila. Appar-
emily that is the only choice the Emper-
or's favorite may make as Macarthur has
SO maneuvered his forces and the navy
and carrier planes have fixed it so rein
forcements can not reach Manila, that it
is fight it out there or quit. Macarthur
knows the jungle fighting game better
than the Japs but he wants no more of
that, if possible.
AS the campaign to deliver the Philip
pines enters this last stage, there is much
speculation as to what the Japs plan
to do as well as what they have been
doing since opposition to the Yanks' land
ing was negligible and no doubt the vast
convoy of thousand ships was trailed
by the enemy and that the landing could
not by any chance have been a surprise.
It may be that the tremendous pound
ing the enemy's navy and air force have
taken in the last few months, and es-
pecially since the landing on Leyte 80
days ago has taken all the fight out of
the dwindling ranks of generals and ad-
mirals and that a major battle is not to
be a part of the program. This could
mean only that the Pacific war finally
is to be fought out and won on Japan's
homeland SOIL
One thing is certain, Macarthur and
Nimitz are headed for Tokyo and that
the days are numbered.
AS our escort fighters were kept busy
by American Grumman fighters and the
special attack planes did not come back
either, we do not really know what hap
pened-Tokyo radio on Jap Sulu Sea
attack.
We must cut spending and appropriate
ing as deeply and as sharply as we can.
Even war appropriations must be given
very close scrutiny.-Rep. Joseph w.
Martin Jr. (R.) of Massachusetts.
uUT OUR WAY