Evening star., 1935-04-28
us. .DANGERSEEN
IN NNEARBY ISLANDS
Seizure of British, French
Areas in Emergency Urged
by Air Head.

| Copyright, 1885, by the Associated Press,)
Mai. F. M. Andrews, chief OF the
powerful new General Headquarter:
| Air Force, was revealed last night tc
have told a House committee that ir
an emergency" the United States
must be prepared to seize" British AND
| French islands near American shores
Appearing at secret session of the
House Military Committee, the printed
transcript of which was made avail
able, Andrews made his statement In
supporting the Wilcox air base bill
The measure would authorize q halt
dozen strategic Army aviation centers
The General Headquarters Air chief
declared that even with Canada neu-
tral, the enemy has the following bases
available: Newfoundland, st. Pierre
and Miquelon, French islands near
Newfoundland; Bermuda, the Bahia
mas, Jamaica, Trinidad, British Hon.
duras, and the lesser Antilles.
Bombing Urged at First Move.
ITO insure against air attacks being
launched from any of these bases in
time of emergency" he said. they
must be kept under surveillance to
discover any evidence of preparation
of such bases; and we must be ready
to bomb such installations as soon as
they are discovered.
If the situation is sufficiently vital
to require it, We must be prepared to
seize these outlying bases to prevent
their development by the enemy as
bases of operation against us"
Andrews did not explain what he
considered an emergency" but prior
to reciting his list of possible enemy
bases, declared: With Canada involved
on the side of hostile coalition, many
land bases and sheltered water bases
are available" At another point, how
ever. he added: 1T is moi believed
Canada, unless forced to do so, would
ever join coalition against the United
States"
Bill Has Been Approved.
The Wilcox air base bill has been
approved by the Military Committee.
Its author, Representative Wilcox,
Democrat, of Florida, has said he had
had reasonably certain assurance" it
met with President Roosevelt's ap-
proval too
At another point in the closed-door
hearings on the measure. the Wa De-
partment's concern over the training
of Peruvian troops by 100 instructors
from "a certain Asiatic power" was
shown by testimony of Maj. Hugh j.
Knerr, also of the G. H. @. air force.
There is a danger spot in con-
nection with the Panama Canal"
Knerr said, that I recently received
some information about, which I con-
slider reliable.
You notice that the southern tip
of Florida is about 1000 or 1900 miles
from the Panama Canal. If you go
South an equal distance you come to
Peru.
Il have been informed that a
certain Asiatic power has right now
about 100 instructors training the
Peruvian army. 1t is interesting to
visualize how many of those are
aviatorS.
Canals Bombing EnviSaged.
I'm fact, in making a comparison
of what you have in South America
and the number of aircraft that are
flying in South America, it is not be-
yond the realm of possibility that some
fine morning we may read of the fact
that there has been successful raid
against the Panama Canal as the
initial step prior to the declaration
of war"
From Col. Walter Kruger, acting
head of the War Plans Division at
the time he appeared at the hearing,
the committee received word, more
over, that 1--WE must focus our atten-
tion westward"
"As you know" he said, there has
been recently a change in the inter-
national situation which has, of neces-
sity, focused the attention of those of
us who are particularly charged with
responsibility for planning to the
westward, to the Pacific.
I'm other words, we have got to be
more conscious, in more specific
way, of a threat from that direction. 4"