The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-09-21
|e|n ISLANDS
SHOULD PROVIDE
|. !. 5. HELcoLAND
New American Territory May
Prove Valuable,

OF Europe. In i6U/ Great Britain seize'
Shat island. only to cede it 30 German,
y years later in a moment OF interna
ticnal insanity Today tha, diminutiv'
ex-Danish island--Helgoland is tn,
stronghold protecting the seacoast o
Germany. 20 miles away.
Lst March the United States ac
quired from Denmark three small is
lands at the salient OF the right angl,
formed b the West Indies. The bill
was 2s,O0.OOO Economically the is
lands are a liability not an asset; bu
some day two Of these ex-Danish is
lands may do for the United State.
what the ex-Danish Island of Helgo,
land is doing today for Germany
Fallacy In Expert Opinions.
Ever since the United States half a
century ago negotiated for the pur-
chase Of this pair St Thomas and St
John, more or less inexpert naval cx-
perts" have written volumes on the
value Of one or the other, or both. as a
naval base: and thus has been widely
circulated the fallacious doctrine that
the United States navy seeks three
West Indian naval bases to protect
each OF the three passage used by YES
sells entering the Caribbean sea, from
the north and east
II would be we'll to understand ,hi,
fallacy. Between Cuba and the Island
Of Haiti is the Windward passage +;
between Haiti and Porto Rico and the
Virgin islands, which include St. Thorn
- and St. John. the virgin passage.
Amateur naval experts" would have
rs believe that the navy wants a base
20 control each OF these passages for
the protection Of the passages for the
protection of the Panama canal. They
accuse the navy of seekng Mole St.
Nicolas. Haiti, for use in conjunction
with the naval base on Guantanamo
bay, Cuba, to guard the Windward pas
sage, SANTANA bay, in the Dominican
republic, they say, is wanted for the
guasding OF the Mona passage. and st.
Thomas, in connection with Culebra
Island, part Of Porto Rico, to control
The Virgin passage.
Doctrin. Dangerously False.
This doctrine Is just close enough 10
the truth to be dangerously false. Real
naval experts, graduates OF the navy
var college. have little use for Mole st.
Nicolas. even less use than they have
tor Guantanamo bay, our present So
called naval base. Guantanamo is su-
vefior to the Mole tactically, and strate-
oieslly the distance between the two
- 40 short that there 10 no choice.
The treaty Of September 1915. by
which the United States rules the nom
tnsl republic OF Haiti, makes no men
ton OF Mole st. Nicolas, an omission
which surprised Latin America with its
eread Of American aspirations. Actual
american aspirations arouse enough an
lipathy and to endow the United States
With ambitions it does not have serves
puly to aggravate an already unpleas- |
mt condition.
What the navy does want and what
he navy feels the United States needs,
bot only to safeguard the canal but also
10 protect the entire Atlantic coast, is
satisfactory naval base as near as
possible to the salient of the right an
Gle formed by the Greater Antilles and
the Lesser Antilles
To wage effective war against the
United States, a great European power
must send troops to seize the Panama
canal or make a landing on the Atlantic
seaboard, A powerful fleet must con
voy the transports carrying The troops.
The whole enemy force, military and
naval must establish a base from which
to operate.
II possible this base will be estab.
lished before the enemy fleet seeks on,
the American fleet. After the strain of
. SMQ-mile trans atlantic trip the enc
my fleet will reach the American coast
only ID percent efficient. The enemy
commander will seek to reiit ships and
rest crews before tackling the theorelic-
ally 100 percent efficien, American
squadron.
Best Sites On Islands.
This necessitates a base Il will be
dangerous I oattempt TO establish such
2 base on the continental United State,
before the American fleet has been dis
posed OF, and il is an axiom that no
great military undertaking can depend
on any avoidable risk. The best sites Tor
such base are found in the West In
dies.
Obviously, then. the best site for an
american naval base is as near as DOS
eible to the West Iudian salient stretch
ing out into the Atlantic. From such
9 base the American fleet will be able
TO sally forth and engage the enemy a.
ne approaches the coast his shirs
facked, his crews worn by the 5000
mile voyage Under ordinary circum
stances he will hardly dare to pass by.
leaving the American fleet on his line
Of communications. Even il he is over
CneImingly superior in strength and
Nafes to pass he will be menaeed con.
4eaotly by submarine raids so long as
american forces keep their base.
"a evy experts regard St. Thomas and
lohn together and Samana bay H.
\ P9mtnican republic as the two bes,
64 naval bases for the American
2Dang right a, the salient. 81,
l1J go ST. John are the better
eAtegically. while SANTANA bay.
tiwQot ID preferable tactically
~ ~ ~ better combined qualiii-
- = Z aattef Of argument in the
~ ,ootiege.
nl6 S. Thomas and ST.
u ~ 4ottd By the British
on4 q Te0teoa; and while war with
11 84nn ~ sever recently been
III vleis tie range Of prob