The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-05-30
By JOHN GROVER AP Feature Service Writer

WASHINGTON.-Eur war is within gun-sound of American soil those United States cemeteries in France and Flanders where rest 30,- 902 American war dead.
 Already bombs have dropped near these silent American outposts. One, the Mouse -Argonne Cemetery, has been reported struck by bombs.
 Solemn Memorial Day services in the American cemeteries this year will be punctuated by the long unfamiliar, but too well-remem- bered, thunder of great guns in the distance.
 Six of the eight. American ceme- teries in France are on battlefields where Yankee troops rolled back the Hindenburg line in the assaults of June to October, 1913. Those six lie square athwart the line of bat tie followed in western Europe since Caesars time.
 Ungrudged millions have been spent-S5, 100000 in all-by the U. s. government to assure perpetual beauty to these quiet cities of the dead White marble crosses-six- pointed stars of David for the Jewish dead-bloom in ordered rows on the broad acres.
 Guarding each American ceme- tery is lofty-Vaulted chapel. The chapels, all in the classic archi- tectural tradition, were built for the ages-but one bomb could de- molish any of them. Designs were chosen only after international competition. They compare favor ably with the greatest memorial ar chitecture anywhere.
 France Observes Memorial Day
 The years of peace since 1913 have been kind to these quiet places. The French peasantry has adopted the American custom of Memorial day The nearest Sun day to May 30 is regularly cele- brated by the villagers who re- member the American khaki-clads of 1918.
 An American superintendent is in charge of each cemetery, as- sisted by a corps of native labor CTS. Thousands of Americans, many of them relatives of the men bur jed there, have come to the ceme- teries each year-but the war will prevent that in 1940.
 The American Battle Monuments commission is in charge of main- taining the cemeteries There has been no fear expressed officially that the cemeteries are in danger. Indeed, there has been every eff fort to minimize the threat.
 But war recks little of sentiment and less of beauty. The German in- vasion of France and Belgium and it's attendant threat to the per- petual quiet of the American grave yards has brought the war home, as nothing else, to the thousands bf American families whose sons and brothers lie there
 Flanders Near Battle Zone
 Here are the American cemeteries in Europe:
 Flanders field-most endangered by the new war-lies between Brussels and Ypres in the heart oi Belgium at Waereghem; 368 Amer ican dead lie here.
 St. Mihiel-4,152 American sol diers rest here--lies 26 miles from the city of Nancy, recently bombed
 Suresnes-lies on the outskirts of wounds in base hospitals are bur- center; l,54l American who died of founds in base hospitals are bur jed here.
 Mouse ArgOnne, IS miles from Verdun, is still more than 100 miles from the battle line. The largest U. s. foreign cemetery, it is the last haven of 14,24O American sol diers.
 Disc -Aisne, containing 6.012 Am erican graves, lies IA miles from Chateau Thierry, outside the pres ent battle zone.
 Aisne- Marne = 2,288 Americans mostly those who fell at Belleau wood, are buried here. This ceme- tery, too, is outside the present bat tie zone.
 Somme-Endangered also by this war; 1883 Americans who were in units attached to British forces lie here, nine miles from St. Quentin near the present battle zones. Br0Okw0od 25 miles from