ARMY: Progress Report, May 11, 1942

When able, taciturn Brigadier General Russell Maxwell and a small staff quietly disappeared into Egypt six months ago, the public knew that they were off to establish the U.S. Military North African Mission. Since then, while uniforms of his growing staff have become a common sight on the streets of Cairo, there have been only such shreds of news as Maxwell’s promotion. Says the new Major General: “I like to talk about work done, not work . . . being done.”

But last week war prophets pointed to the Middle East as the “logical” point for the long-awaited Axis spring offensive. President Roosevelt announced that U.S. service troops were already in the Middle East —power-station and arsenal for the United Nations —and that Lend-Lease aid would be extended on north to Iran and Iraq.

So General Maxwell looked at his work, decided to hold his first press conference. He explained that the Mission’s object had been to service and observe Lend-Lease planes, tanks, other equipment. To this end he had: 1) brought all previous American observers, technicians, advisers into his organization; 2) expanded Italian installations in Eritrea into supply and repair bases (“We took up the job where they left off; it was very convenient”); 3) established schools to train British personnel on U.S. equipment, and so thoroughly familiarized them with U.S. matériel that he could now turn the schools over to them to run.

Still deep military secrets are the number of U.S. service troops in the area, the amount of matériel the United Nations have piled up, and the Allied plans.

General Maxwell added that from now on he will hold a press conference once a week. This was good news to the knowing.