The Colorado statesman., 1922-04-22
CANAL WIDE OPEN
To AIR ATTACKS
WEEKS PLANS FOR AIRPLANE
ROUTES TO ISTHMUS CALL
ATTENTION TO DANGER.
WATERWAY EASILY BOMBED
Hostile Attitude of Congress Toward
All Matters of National Defense May
Block the Efforts of the Seor etary
OF War.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK
Washington. - Secretary of War
Weeks plan to open air routes 10 the
istlmus has brought sharp attention
to the general matter of the proper
defense of the Panama canal ii war
should come and I'm attempt should be
made to put the waterway out of COM
mission.
The secretary of war has said that
he considers the two most Important
points at which this government should
maintain troops to be Hawaii and the
Panama Canal Zone. When the canal
was constructed the airplnne had not
been developed to the high point of
efficiency of today. Nevertheless prob
able aggressive action by planes
against the canal was taken into con-
circles there has been study of the
defense proposition in connection with
the advance of aeronautics.
1t is recognized that If Uncle
Sans small fleet is to be divided be-
tween the waters of the Atlantic and
the Pacific, the first effort of an
enemy having its seat in the. Pacific
ocean would be to damage the water
way in order to prevent the quick
transfer of ships and supplies to the
Pacific waters. Bombs from an air
plane naturally are considered the
easiest means of putting the canal out
of commission. The great danger to
the waterway, therefore, is from
point above.
The United States has spent large
sums of money to make the canal safe
from attack overland or from the sea.
It will have to spend more money to
make it safe against attack from the
mir The only way that it can be safe
guarded from bomb-droppinG airplanes
is to supply airplanes enough to meet
and drive off raiders who are on de-
struction bent.
Safe Only From Surface Attacks.
In 1913, the year in which the wa
ters of Gatun lake were turned into
the Culebra cut, now called the CALI
ard cut, and the year in which the
canal was opened for commerce, 1t
WAS reported that Panama was immune
from naval attack; that tremendous
fortresses capable of repelling sea
forces, no matter how powerful, had
been constructed and it was believed
that even if the American navy should
be destroyed by foreign fleet. the
enemy could not make way with his
ships past the powerful batteries
which the United States had erected
in either ocean.
At that time the problem of defense
from land attack was more acute.
1t was realized that enemy ships after
having destroyed the American ships,
could land at points out of range of
the guns of the fortifications, forces
strong enough to make their way
through the jungle and to cripple the
canals activities by short-range artil-
lery fire, even if the invaders event
ually were repelled.
Today the War department realizes
that an enemy wishing to attack the
canal will not be compelled to employ
landing force. All that it would
have to do, in case the air approaches
were not guarded thoroughly by Amer
lean planes, would be to send bomb
dropping craft from the deck of one
of its ships, depending upon its crew
to drop a shell where it would do the
enemy the most good and the canal the
most harm. b
Queer Attitude of Congress.
The whole trend of things in Wash
ington today seems to be toward the
doing away with anything which looks
like defense for the people or the prop
critics of the United States. Military
authorities, and the administration it
self, are fearful of the danger which
would threaten the Panama canal in
case of trouble, even with small
power. If the United States were to
have some little difficulty with
minor country on this continent, there
would be nothing to do to prevent that