The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-04-14
AYSOUTHERN
PHILIPPINES
VULNERABLE
Mystery Fleet There Nay
Be Dramatization of
Naval Needs
By JULIUS EDELSTElN
United Press Staff Correspondent


WASHlNGnON, April IL. ,trD
Navy officials last ni%ht indi-
Gated that if the "myStcry fleet
which is re: prtrd anchored OIL
Uavao IIarbor in the Philippines
is that ors a foreign power. plans
for defense of the Asiatic Aren't
pctago may be called NJ for re-
vision.
Procedure is expected to be de-
Lcrmined when the war board re-
ccivrs radio reports from tW" de-
stroycrs which were detached
from the l.. S. Asiatic fleet and
Specdcd under full draft to the
dcfcnSclcSS harbor to attempt |"
identify the fleet.
Some officials believed the Meet
mi"ht consist Of American vessels
mancuvering secretly to test vllI-
nerability of the islands. but IN
that case it is doubted that Rear
Admiral Harry r. Yarrcll, com
mandcr Of the Asiatic fleet, would
have dispatched the dcStroycrS T."
Davao. Iarnclls fleet, however, IS
not participating in current naval
mancuvcrs in the Mid-Pacliic, de-
tails of which may have been
withheld from him. :,
Members Of the war board
which is composed Of army and
navy officials, rcp0rtedy were
perturbcd inasmuch as the mere
presence Of a mystery fleet m
Davao, even though it is AmcrI-
can, emphasizes the complete m
dcrensibility Of the southcrnmost
islands Of the Archipelago against
surprise attack.
If the ships are either Amcr'-
can or foreign it means that they
operated 50 secretly that thCH
slipped into Admiral larneli $
sphere of "defensc" without be-
ing detected. One official pointed
oct that this might be a Statcgcm
devised by the war board to dia-
Matte the islands vulncrablllty
and that the board isn't pcrturbed
but instead is pleased that its de-
vice ended 50 successfully.
Current war plans, revised III
the light of military Developments
in the Far East, Indicate, accord
ing to officials that American mil
itary establishments in the islands
could offer little opposition if an
enemy force decided to occupy
Davao or the entire Island Of
Mindanao, richest and largest IN
the Archipelago.
American troops have been
withdrawn from Mindinao, lcaT-
ing defense of the island to ma
tive conStabulary and fierce,
mountain Moros. The nearest mill
itary posts are at Stottsenbcrg,
TIA nautical miles distant, and at
Manila. Olangapo and CaVlte,
near Manila, are only skeleton
naval bases and inadequate for
wartime operations.
Military SLratcGiStS say that
Manila itself is probably lmpreg-
nable only so long as the Ameri-
can fort at Corrcgador, i'll Manila
Bay, can hold out. The fort, how
ever, is considered one of the
most powerful outposts in the
Far East.
Experts who have spent years
studying Philippines defense say
| that Mlndinao probably would be
the first point Of attack in case Of
foreign invasion, especially by Ja-
pan. They point out also that
there is a large concentration Of
Japanese nationals in Davao.
American High Commissioner
Paul V. McNutt was reported as
: having investigated Japanese in
| filtration in Davao before his re-
cent viSitSto Washington. He min
imized the significance of the
question while here but did an
about-faCe and endorsed contin-
, ucd American occupation of the
islands.
This was a reversal of the adj
miniStration'S islands indCpcnpcn-
dcnce policy and it repeatedly has
the concurrence of President
Roosevelt.
Some experts said the report
of the mystery fleet" was very
probably related" to. McNutt's
new attitude and that the war
D. VIII MO