The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-10-05
PANAMA CANAL
area GUARDED
Half Million Square Miles
of Water PatrOIed
From Air
BY LYLE C. WILSON

BY LYLE C. WILSON
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
Washington, Oct. 5-(UP)-United
States airmen are flying the Panama
Canal neutrality patrol today over
an area of more than half million
square miles of salt water.
The estimate was that dozen
naval bombers were patrolling from
dawn to dark from the southern tip
Of Florida to the northern coast Of
South America. That patrol would
cover the Caribbean sea which At
lantic shipping must enter enroute
to the canal.
The canal patrol was undertaken,
the United Press was informed, at
the outset of the European war and
does not represent a development of
the Panama declaration in which the
81 American republics agreed this
week to establish q safety zone
around the western hemisphere
Therefore, it is a patrol of sur
veillance rather than one designed
to prevent hostile acts beyond the
strict limits of our territorial waters.
Naval planes aloft over the Span
ish Main are based at Puerto Rico
where Admiral william H. Leahy,
retired chief of naval operations, has
Just taken over as governor. Puerto
Rican development is to be under
taken to make that territory for
midable outpost in canal defenSes of
which the naval patrol is a vital
part.
Some naval officers long have be-
lieved that in the modern era of
undeclared wars an enemy might be
expected to strike at the canal first
and announce its hostility afterward.
1t is desirable for that reason among
others that the United States be
familiar with the shipping converg-
ing on the canal and, especially, be
aware of trysts at sea which might
take place among foreign vessels.
The patrol from Puerto Rico was
described as an outer curtain of sur
veillance. A similar operation, based
on the United States naval station
at Guantanamo, Cuba, was reported
to provide second line of aerial OBJ
servation covering the Gulf Of Mex
leo area westward toward the canal.
The Caribbean and gulf areas are
we'll within the range of army and
navy aircraft which could effective
~ support any neutrality position
the United States might proclaim
for that part of the world. The
question Of force behind neutrality
proclamations is beginning to de-
velop now as belligerents react to
the safety belt proposal of the Pam
anna declaration.
First returns from Great Britain
were informal, unofficial and I'M
friendly. The London Times said
action to enforce the prohibition of
hostile acts within waters extending
approximately 800 miles from the
north and south American main
lands would have no sanction in IN
ternational law but would amount
to an act of war and nothing else"
Other questions are being raised:
!. Could Nazi commercial ship
ping now internedE lin Pan American
ports resume business behind the
protection Of the safety line?
2. Could belligerent war vessel
elude a stronger enemy foe by run
ming across the line and return la
ter to unrestricted waters to prey
on enemy shipping?
And over all was the question
who would enforce the Pan Amer
lean neutrality zone and how? The
area involved is tremendous. But
these questions are not pertinent to
the neutrality patrol undertaken
three weeks ago by the United
States acting on its own. Mr..
Roosevelt ordered armed craft and
aircraft to sea with instructions to
observe and report, not to prevent
hostile acts.
The state department is avoiding
all Interpretation of the Panama
declaration. The unofficial version
of events here is that the safety
belt idea was originated by South
American delegates to the Panama
conference although it was present.
ed by Undersecretary of State Sum.
ner WelleS, head Of the United
States delegation.
But the United States surveillance
patrol will continue and, in a pinch,
it doubtless could be made more
forcible in the Caribbean and gulf
area because our sea and air power
would be ample to make stick any
policy undertaken by the admins
tration.
In European waters this govern
ment is on the other tack, warning
American shipping of the hazards
OF war zones and urging our flag
ships to stay out of dangerous wa
tiers. That warning, Secretary of
State Cordell Hull emphasized, does
not waive our rights under Interna-
tional law to sail our ships where
we please. 1t does not signify that
We may not later enter dangerous
waters If American policy seems to
require it.