South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 12 September 1942
A Cheerful War Review
With all the old mastery of phrase and a hint of new optimism Mr. Churchill gave a concise yet exhaustive review of the war situation in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
It was a heartening review on the whole. Parliament certainly thought so, and finding nothing to cavil at a number the members stole silently away, leaving the projected two-day debate to peter out. It has to be recorded also in detriment to the dignity and sense of responsibility of the House that some members could not even wait until the Premier had finished his speech. But this display of bad manners could not rob the occasion of its importance or impair the distinctly cheerful atmosphere which Mr. Churchill’s speech created, it shed a good deal of new light on the progress of the United Nations’ war effort, including better news about the shipping position, an explanation of the changes in command in the Middle East, a significant revelation of recent conferences with an important military mission sent over by President Roosevelt, and confirmation of a national presentiment that the Russians do not think either ourselves or the Americans have done enough so far to take the weight off them. There were also many passages heavy with the import of what was not said. Mr. Churchill in imparting much new information was noticeably discreet when he touched on several of the more vital aspects of the war, the future implications of which command the most earnest and anxious attention of the enemy.
Of the Dieppe operation the Prime Minister said no more than was absolutely necessary, though he did permit himself the guarded but significant comment that he regarded it as “an indispensable preliminary to full-scale operations.” A good deal of the speech was devoted to the Middle East scene, and it is obvious that Mr. Churchill attaches high importance to the outcome of the campaigning in this theatre.
Of his meetings with the men of the Desert Army, and he spent five days in this way, he said: “I explained the extraordinary significance of their task and its bearing on the whole war.” Perhaps before long the mysterious East will provide more illuminating indications of its part in the grand strategy of the United Nations.
On his trip to Moscow, which of all recent moves in the war has occasioned most speculation, Mr. Churchill was naturally able to say very little; “all must remain secret.” But he did succeed in giving the impression that his personal meeting with Premier Stalin had established “the same relations of easy confidence and perfect openness which I have built up with President Roosevelt.”
This must mean very much to the relationship between two countries which during the last twenty years had become to a certain extent estranged. A categorical pronouncement on the subject of retribution for Nazi crimes in the occupied countries, mentioning “tribunals in every land where their atrocities have been committed,” brought the speech to a stern conclusion.
Once again Mr. Churchill, in his incomparable fashion, succeeded in placing the war picture before us in faithful perspective. But if the outlook seems inconceivably better since the days of his initial offer of blood, toil, sweat and tears, we shall be wise if we remember that there are still deeps ahead, and many a searching ordeal to face, before we scale the heights of victory, having paid its immutable price.