Report from Britain

Report from Britain While the President was still in bed last week, there was one important bearer of tidings whom he received: James Forrestal, 49, Under Secretary of the Navy, amiably cynical ex-Wall Streeter, who had just returned to Washington after two and a half weeks in Britain. Forrestal was the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit wartime Britain since Sumner Welles's ill-fated exploratory peace trip in 1940--for unofficial Ambassadors Willkie and Hopkins, and innumerable minor observers, have had no such formal posts. What the Under Secretary reported was not officially disclosed, but Washington's version of the Forrestal report was specific, and was not met with denials. Some reported points:

>Britons believe that with 200 U.S. heavy bombers, the threat to vital British shipping could be practically eliminated. Britons are enthusiastic over U.S. patrol and heavy bombers, find U.S. pursuit planes inferior to their own, which fly higher, can get on top the enemy. But U.S. planes are now being tested in action on a big scale in Syria (see p. 34).

>Britain needs tanks to meet invasion assaults, produces few (and has little hope of soon getting any quantity from the U.S.). Emphasis on the immediate need for tanks was interpreted as a belief that an invasion may be attempted at any time.

>Britain needs ships urgently, counts on the recently extended U.S. patrol system (though opinion is divided on the most effective method of protecting British ships). Even the most savagely bombed of British ports are still in use.

>British morale is so high that no Government could survive if it attempted to negotiate a peace. ...

Most remarkable rumor of the week (not attributed to Mr. Forrestal): if U.S.British relations get out of whack, Prime Minister Churchill will fly to the White House himself.

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