Evening star., 1937-08-29
Continued From First Page.)

shore. Furthermore. our Navy would
be within 4 short distance OF supply
bases
But even il the enemy did decide to
risk an attempt to get bombers to
Washington while the battle was rag
ing, their planes would have to slip
through the more than $50 planes on
our carriers As we'll as the anti-aircraft
guns OF our ships. When and If the
planes ever reached shore. our G. H. G.
| would be waiting, as would few of
the Army's ~ batteries of Anti-aircraft
machine guns and 4s batteries Of
larger guns. many Of them highly
mobile units.
A 9 FOR an attack by Canada, few
II any. have fears in that direc-
ton. The relations between the two
countries are perhaps the friendliest
that exist between any in the world.
To many, 1t Is even hard to believe
Canada would join hands with the
mother country, England. II war
should break out between US and that
| nation. However, if such a situation
should arise. strateRists claim 1t would
be relatively easy for our forces to
| subdue our Northern neighbor In
dealing with England, We would meet
her feet.
| But il Canada did have opportunity
to launch an air attack. it is doubtful
she would attempt a drive on WASH
ington. Her planes would have to
fly over at least 400 miles of United
States territory and annihilation from
our G. H. Q. and anti-aircraft guns
would seem to be almost a certainty. 1t
would be much more feasible to attack
New York, Chicago or Detroit. The
bombing Of these could At into a plan
for invasion by infantry.
Any attempt by the enemy to estab-
lish base on the Bermudas would
be forestalled by our fleet.
Experts say that even with all the
speculation as to an actual attack on
Washington. there is really little place
for bombing to fit into any campaign
the enemy could devise. A successful
bombing could infiict damage of only
two kinds, physical and demoralizing
The former can be determined by
mathematics: the latter is an inde-
terminable factor. although 1t would
appear to be accomplished in almost
direct proportion to the physical.
As for the physical, there are two
kinds: loss Of lives and demolition Of
buildings. One guess Is as good an an
other on how many would be killed,
but the destruction Of every building
here would have little effect on the
country's ability to strike back. In
contrast with almost every capital of
Europe, Washington occupies no
prominent place In the commercial,
financial industrial or agricultural
life Of the Nation. When a European
capital Is attacked, the enemy is
driving at the very heart of the
country's transportation system; the
center Of almost every financial
Transaction; the location of many of
the largest factories; the distributing
point for the nations foodstuffs
Paris, Berlin, London, Moscow and
Rome serve As two or more of these
vastly important during war. In the
United States, Chicago and st. Louis
act as railroad centers while our
steamship harbors are spread over
three coasts; our factories sprawl over
the triangle formed by Massachusetts,,
the Carolinas and Illinois: our food
stu6s are relayed through . dozen
cities In the South and West, and our
finances are centered In New York.
OUTSIDE of . brief charge at the
seat Of the Government, there is
little reason for infiicting damage to
the buildings Of Washington. Con-
gress, the White House, the Supreme
Court, the various departments-all
could function with efficiency else
where. Records probably would be
the things missed mostly. But ONCE
buildings, military authorities are
quick to point out, do not contribute
one whit to offensive or defensive
power and these are the points in our
armcr an enemy will concentrate on.
Heretofore, . measure Of demoral-
ization force by bombing has been
limited to speculation, but the siege
Of Madrid has furnished military ex-
perts With . concrete example. For
eight months now, the fall Of that
city has been awaited hourly, but the
once dreaded air attack has bean