The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-30
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
scripps-Hovard Foreign Editor

scripps-Hovard Foreign Editor
Fooled virtually into abandoning
its naval base at Manila, leaving the
Philippines at the mercy of any
strong sea power in the western
Pacific, the United States may seek
to reopen the whole question OF
naval bases at the forthcoming five
power conference at London.
That the British government an
ticipateS, and even may not be en-
tirely averse to, some such move, is
indicated by the announcement
that work on its titanic base at
Singapore has been held up, or
slowed down, until the conference
is over. Singapore is known as
the Gibraltar of the East"
At the Washington conference of
1921, the American delegation be-
came convinced firmly that a real
naval holiday" had been declared
by the five powers present, Britain,
America, Japan, France, and Italy.
Instead of that, only capital ship
building was checked, all the
powers except America proceeding
full steam ahead to build cruisers
and other auxiliary craft.
Agreed to Scrap Bases
Meantime, however, in the full
flush of the naval holiday" MOOD
prevailing at the Washington con-
ference, America had committed
herself to scrapping her plans for
stronger naval bases in the western
Pacific. She agreed not to
strengthen her base at Cavite, on
Manila bay, and not to fortify
Guam, Samoa or any other posses
sion in that region.
And, as Cavite was poorly equipped
and just as poorly fortified, her
act was tantamount to abolishing
her Far Eastern bases.
In the same agreement Japan
undertook further not to strengthen
her bases except those in her prin-
cipal islands. and Britain not to
improve Hongkong. But Japan,
which had taken the lead in urging
the agreement, according to news
dispatches at the time, had rushed
through to completion a modern
base in the BONN islands, COM
handing our sea route to the
Philippines, and so was well pre-
pared to renounce further improve
ment there.
At the same time Britain, in
Hongkong, possessed one of the
strongest and best equipped bases
in the world. Moreover the 10th
meridian, east longitude, east of
which Britain agreed not to con-
Struct new baSeS-except in Aus
tralia, New Zealand and Canada
left her with free hands to do what
ever she liked west of that line.
And Just west of that line lies
Singapore.
Singapore Is a Gibraltar
Singapore is at the southern tip
of the Malay Peninsula, 1t is re-
garded as another Gibraltar. 1t
occupies the main corner" around
which the principal traffic to and
from the Far East must pass, ex-
cept, of course, that coming di-
rectly from the Americas. 1t COM
mandS the Philippines, the East
Indies, Australia, India, and China.
Thanks to their modern bases,
both Japan and Britain are within
from 600 to 1900 miles of Manila,
whereas our nearest adequate base
is at Pearl harbor, 4,767 miles dis
tant across the Pacific ocean. San
Francisco, the nearest home port,
is $500 miles away.
America could not bring a third
of her naval strength to bear in
defense of the Philippines, whereas
Britain and Japan could make use
of almost their entire strength.
These facts are mentioned here
not in any jingoistic spirit, but be-
cause, as President Hoover observed