Pearl Harbor
Out to the island this morning in the rear end of Gibson’s coupe. Nothing doing around the squadron, so I went back into town in the afternoon. Brought Patu out to the house for a swim. Jackson and Carmichael were there (still) with their “concubines,” plus Oliver (alone). I wonder what Patu thought of them. Despite her being 26 years old, she still “hasn’t been around” as much as the average college girl. However, they seem to like her enough to ask her to the big sendoff party for Carmichael (the Count soon takes over as “Exec”on Palmyra) next Saturday, thus putting me in a beautiful hole, as I’ve already asked Marion Robinson. O’ well what the hell.
As I expected, Patu refused to stay in the house overnight, despite the assurance of a private room and bath, fully equipped with lock chains, and bolts. Women are crazy.
This battle, now in its fourth or fifth day down in the Solomons, it’s still pretty much of a mystery to us up here, despite the fact that the task forces are based here.
This Navy doesn’t seem to realize that the best defense in the world is an attack. The energy being squandered in the Solomons could capture Wotje in the Marshalls for us. With Wotje, and a few planes, we could make the Marshalls untenable for the Japs. With the Marshalls gone, Wake would practically collapse of itself. The logical step then would be the capture of Marcus Island, which would put us within bombing range of Japan. All this would take no more energy or toll then these asinine operations going on in the Solomons.
The only two possibilities justifying the Solomon battle are that the Navy is merely using them to divert the Japs’ attention from something bigger, which I doubt, or that the increasing strength of the Japs in the Solomons threatened to cut our air route to Australia. If the Solomons affair assumes the proportions of an initial push back into the East Indies, it is truly the height of stupidity. The East Indies will never be retaken from the Japs, except at a cost far exceeding their value.
The only way to beat the Japs, and I’ve said it many times before, is in Japan! I can feel in my bones we are doing nothing towards bolstering the Russians in Siberia. Precious months are being frittered away. 500 bombers operating out of Vladivostok would put the skids under Japan in two weeks! What have we in mind when we fritter away her strength in the Solomons and in the Aleutians?
The accounts in Time and U.S. News of the way things are being conducted back in the states are enough to make a few person ill. What utter asses we are.
Roosevelt seems to be doing the country more harm than good. The war has accented his defects. His petty politics, his weak-kneed attitude towards labor troubles, his encouragement of red-tape and confusion, will do more to lose the war for us, than any other single thing. The rubber situation is truly the most revolting thing I’ve ever read of.
The only hope of the country lies in the awakening of the people to what is happening. We are losing the war, can’t they see it? The inevitable rise in casualties listed will make them see it, but will it be too late? In the meantime they read these cockeyed newspaper accounts of our glorious victories at Midway and the Coral Sea and think that we are winning right and left. Don’t they realize that every battle we fought so far has been nothing more than a critically necessary defensive action. Luckily, we’ve won — so far.