The Washington times., 1923-03-03
new CANAL FOR
j. s. DEFENSE
IS URGED
9 Admiral Fullam Points Out
Advantages of Nicaragua
Route.
BY REAR ADM. w. F. FULLAM,
q. 8. N, Retired, Formerly Com.
mander Of the Pacific
Reserve Fleet.

u. 3. N, Retired, Formerly Com
mander Of the Pacific
Reserve Fleet.
(Copyright, 1919, by Cosmopolitan
News Service.)
The proposition to build another
1sthmian canal through Nicaragua
may be temporarily shelved. but 1t
will not die. 1t cannot be killed.
it will live as long as this nation Of
ours lives. And the absolute need
of It will soon be admitted. Its COM
pietion will be forced at no distant
date by national consideration Of
self-defense and commercial pros
perity.
We may grant that the Panama
canal Is proved success. That 1t
takes care of trans-isthmian COM
naerce today and may continue to do
%, in times Of peace, for thirty
years to come. But how about a
state Of war? Is the world to be
always at peace?
Panama Canal Not American.
The Panama canal fails today, and
win continue to fail, to meet many
Of the requirements of the United
States in peace and war. 1t is not,
strictly speaking, an American wa
terway. In many respects it be-
longs also to foreign nations, or they
have so much to say about 1t as to
share In its ownership for practical
purposes. Our control is limited by
conditions and treaties with foreign
powers. We cannot dictate in the
matter Of canal tolls, for instance.
We cannot favor our coastwise traf-
4 vA~v5 al We ara0
hedged with international and diplo-
matte difficulties at every turn.
Numerous puzzlfng complications
viii arise in case Of war between
foreign nations that may wish to
use the canal, no matter whether we
are neutral or an ally of one side.
In short, it is not an American
waterway. It is world waterway,
largely controlled by the world.
u. s. Must Have Control.
This might be disastrous to US.
We need an American canal. We
must have route that we can
close or open at will and control,
exclusively of Europe or Asiatic
nations. Such a waterway Is a
waterways. It is vital to our COM
munications between the Atlantic
and the Pacific. We have a right
20 Il.
furthermore, the Panama canal
can be easily destroyed or blocked
by an enemy. It's locks are fatally
vulnerable to bombing in a hostile
air attack. We cannot rely upon
It. 1t is a precarious dependence.
The recent fleet maneuvers proved
that an attacking fleet could pene-
trate within bombarding distance,
But even If this could be prevented,
an enemy might easily penetrate
within bombing distance-one or
two hundred miles. It would be
folly for a sensible or intelligent
nation to ignore such condition.
Safety In Nicaragua Route.
The Nicaragua route would safe.
guard the nation: It could be mace
an American canal excIusively-or
q Pan-American canal which En-
ropean and Asiatic powers could
use or not, as American interests
might dictate. And it might be q
sea-level canal or one with tidal
harbors to meet engineering diff
ficulties at either end.
To be sure, there are engineers
: who stress the difficulties and dis
advantages of this route, and there
are Interests" that will fight it.
But this opposition should not and
will not prevail. The ADVANTAGES
are SO many and so great that the
barrage of objections will be SWEPT
away. The distance from New
York to San Francisco will be
shortened more than a thousand
miles.
The advantage to our coastwise
shipping is beyond computation.
And in time Of war this canal
might save the situation. The fleet,
or certain units Of it, could be held
IN Lake Nicaragua ready for mobil-
ization on either coast, to meet an
attack. Thus the Nicaragua canal
might win war which the Pan.
anna route would lose! This is the
difference between an American
canal and a world waterway. The
United States must have a. canal
that VIII bring Victory-not defeat.
Both Canals Are Needed.
Aside from the imperative need
OF another canal for national de-
Tense, and as an aid to our coast.
wise shipping It will be valuable
In foreign trade. Neither the world
ner the United States is standing
still commercially. The probable
demands OF the next ten years in
shipping cannot be foreseen nor
exaggerated. We must not wait
until the Panama Canal is choked
20 death before we get busy, The
Nicaragua route was preferred to
that Of Panama for many wears nv
distinguished engineers and naval
officers who exhaustively studied
both routes. eThey were right then
and they are right now. Let us
have an American canal for leeit.
innate American needs.
So much for canals. But a third
route from the Gulf of Mexico to
the Gulf Of Tehupantepec on the
Pacific side may one day be vitality
useful to US. Such was the pro.
posed Edes ship railway. 1t was
to take ships and cargo complete
across on a twelVe-track railway
1t failed because It was thought
that the weight Of big ships made IL
impracticable. But such a marine
railway for small ships-coastine
vessels. many smart merchant
steamer. submarines, destroyers and
auxiliary naval vessels is by nc
means impossible.
Would Shorten Route.
This route would be still shorter
than the Nicaragua canal, In time
of war we would have three strings