The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-09-03
By ANTHONY J. DIMOND Delegate to Congress from Alaska


 The above title is an apt one. All defense works set up in Alaska are there established not for the defense of Alaska alone but for the defense of the Nation and for the defense of Alaska only as a part of the Nation. Moreover the defense of Alaska means the de- fense of the northern part of the Western Hemisphere, the defense of the Dominion of Canada, and therefore an inevitable part of the defensive structure necessary to make the Monroe Doctrine some- thing more than a vain and empty phrase.
 After years of struggle and argu- ment, and even of pleading, Alas kans may we'll be encouraged with the present outlook upon the ques- tion of Alaska and the national defense. Our military leaders have long known and have said on sev- eral occasions that Alaska should be included in the national defense plans and that, as strategic area, it is of the highest importance. The trouble is that in the past few people took national defense very seriously and it was only with the utmost difficulty that funds could be obtained to maintain the skele- ton of our Army and to build and maintain our Navy of size sufficient to be of any real value. So Alaska was left year after year quite de- fense1ess. So much so that in the Treaty of Limitation of Naval Ar maments, signed February 6, 1922, we solemnly covenanted with the other signatories to that Treaty, including Japan, that we would not install any defense works In the Aleutian Islands. This is not said in criticism. In the nineteen twenties a vast majority of our citizens felt that there was no pos- sibility of another great war for another 50 years and so we blithely let our Army and Navy almost go out of existence, regardless of the fact that some of the great nations of the world were developing their armed forces to the fullest extent of their capacity and regardless of the fact that in modern times not days and months, but years, are required to build up an efficient Army or Navy.
 Strategic Alaska
 Fronting, as it does, more than 2,50O miles east to west along the North Pacific Ocean, and extending, as it does, to within 54 miles of Asia, Alaska is obviously the high way, militarily and otherwise, be- tween the two continents. The i'm portance of it's position is magni- fled a thousand times by the de- velopment of the airplane and oi air transportation. The control and possession of Alaska-and by that possession I mean strong, fortified possession of a type to be able to repel any forces likely to come against it-controls the North Pa
 cific and imposes an inSuperab barrier against any power that may be thrown against the United States from the Orient. On the other hand Alaska undefended offers what is equivalent to bridge from Asia making an assault against the Unit ed States and Canada easy and al- most certain to be successful.
 But all that has been gone into before. Every Alaskan knows it and understands it. Every Alaskan real izes that the safety of the Nation may well depend upon the strength of defensive installations in AL aska. Every Alaskan is aware that his own safety and the safety of his loved ones may be more imme- diately dependent upon the strength of those forces.
 Under Way
 And so it is with considerable satisfaction that we of Alaska are now witnessing the setting up oi defensive forces and establishments in Alaska which, when expanded and completed, will insure measur- ably the safety of the residents oi Alaska and the safety of the Unit ed States as well.
 Naval air bases are now under construction at Sitka, and Kodiak and presently a similar base will be built at Unalaska. The Army has under construction an air station at Fairbanks and the Army Ali Base at Anchorage as well as a military post at the latter place The following is a list of the ap- prOpriationS made during the last