The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-06-18
T H ESE D A Y s
By GEORGE E. SOKOLSkY

Leahy'S Testimony
 One of the items omitted from lthe Russell Committee Investiga- tion was the Honolulu Conference of 1914. President Roosevelt went to the Pacific to straighten out any differences between General Mac Arthur and Admiral Nimitz on how to light Japan. Admiral William U. Leahy, in his book, T Was There" :" says:
 "These two meeting were much more peaceful than I had eX- ipected after what I had been hear ing in Washington. Here in Homo lulu we were working with facts, not the emotional reactions of po- iiticians Macarthur had shown ex- ceptional ability early in his Army career and his rise had been rapid. It was no secret that in the Penta- gon Building in Washington there were men who disliked him, to state the matter mildly .. personally was convinced that MacArthur and Nimitz were, together, the two best luaiifled officers in our service TOT this tremendous task Nimitz prom ised that he would give the Army Commander the needed transporta- tion and Naval support. Both told the president they had what they needed, that they were not asking for anything, and that they would work together in full agreement toward the common end of defeat ing Japan"
 Further, Admiral Leahy wrote:
 We had a special meeting of the Joint Chiefs in which gave them detailed report of the Honolulu Conference They may have been somewhat surprised to learn that Nimitz and Macarthur said they had no disagreements at the mo- ment and that they could work out their joint plans in harmony '. 2"
 The astonishment of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must have been great indeed, for already there were numerous rumors and reports of how difficult MacArthur was and how he and the Navy were having a tough time. Actually, this was not so, and the rumors undoubtedly were designed to lessen General MacArthur's influence and the weight of his views.
 The basic question was whether the Philippines were to be by passed and Japan attacked direct ly. Leahy says:
 Macarthur was convinced that an occupation of the Philippines was essential before any major at tack in force should be made on Japanese-held territory North of Luzon. The retaking of the Philip pines seemed to be matter of great interest to him. He said that he had sufficient ground and air forces for the operation and that his only additional needs were land- ing craft and naval support"
 So General MacArthur and Ad- miral Nimitz, sitting with President Roosevelt in Honolulu, stipulated, according to Admiral Leahy:
 MacArthur and Nimitz were now in agreement that the Philippines should be recovered with ground and air power then avail able in the Western Pacific and that Japan could be forced to &C., cept our terms of surrender by the use of sea and air power without an invasion of the Japanese home land"
 It is important to note that Rus sia was at this time in no way as- sociated with the Far Eastern War. Russian was a neutral and strictly so. It was MacArthur's theory that if he could cut Japan off from her conquered territory, seize the shipp- ing and air lanes, he would reduce the availability of rice and raw ma terials and that he would defeat Japan without attacking her di- rectly and thus save a great many American lives. This was accom- plished.
 This Honolulu Conference is im- portant in any understanding of the long series of events which Con- gress is now Investigating. Yet, it has thus far not even been con- sidered. For instance. Dean Acheson has defended Yalta on the grounds that Russia could have taken any thing she wanted to take. But Rus sian was not even in the Far Eastern War at the time that the strategy of the Pacific War was designed at Honolulu. At no point in Admiral Leahy's recital of what occurred at Honolulu was Russia given any consideration.
 But they talked about England. This is what Leahy says in his book:
 "Nimitz and MacArthur discussed with the President the role that the British. especially the Royal Navy, would play in the final op- erations against Japan there were reports that some elements in Churchill's government were in fa- vor of obtaining a controlling in terest in the Dutch East Indies Onca thev had heen recaDtured, It