Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-08
Land Division
For Russians
Is Discounted
Widespread Use Of Ga:
in This War Doubted
By PAUL MALDON

~ AShlNSlOA>' Ju''e O. NUS
w STA is pressing for a post
war under standing now on
ACQUISITION of a moderate
amount Of territory which she
considers essential to her own
defense.
You can see this in the in
spired news dispatches from
Moscow, such as the one June
3 in the New York Times. claim
ing Red rights to the Karelian
Isthmus, the little Baltic states
of uania, Latvia and
Estonia. the part of Poland she
occupied called White Russia"
and the Bessarabian, Bukovinian
and Moldavian sections of Ru-
mania.
The request for an under
standing on this is reported on
competent authority to have be-
come known automatically to
London and to Washington.
OBVIOUSLY. even such fair
" sounding and restrained de-
mand. cannot be granted with
out corrupting the basis on
which the United States and
Great Britain are conducting
the war, or In fact our own
form OF government.
Secret promises would amount
to secret treaties. and the Presi-
dent Is not empowered to make
secret treaties. Our form of gov
eminent requires treaties to be
ratified and proclaimed by the
Senate.
If any official of this govern
ment made a promise, il could
not be binding, and, therefore,
would be worthless.
But even il this were not the
case. neither London nor Wash
ington officials would consider IL
a wise policy to start handing
out personal promises to work
after the war for secret terri
torial acquisitions for friends.
If the first reasonable request
is granted a dangerous and en-
barrassing course would be
opened up.
Whatever diplomatic repre-
sensations were made by Rus
STA can definitely be assumed
to have been rejected.
TT Is not thought likely that
Il poison gas will ever be used
in this war, except In such
limited circumstances as already
reported in China and on the
Russian front.
1t would just not be worth
while from a military standpoint
for any one to use gas bombs
against cities like Washington.
London. Toxic or Berlin. To
create any effect, a tremendous
amount OF gas would be re-
quired. Hundreds of planes
would be necessary for any i'm
portant raid.
No military advantages would
accrue because civilians alone
would suffer. Why carry gas
against civilians when the same
number of planes can inflict real
military damage with incendi-
aries and explosives?
Use OF gas against seaside
~ military detectives like Mid
way, Pearl Harbor. Dutch Har-
Dor. etc, is even more improb-
able. Constant sea breeZes
would keep il from being effec-
tive.
Gas is wholly ineffective
weapon in a war of movement
which this war has turned out to
be in Europe and the Far East.
IT was disable in the first World
War, because then fighting was
limited to trenches and positions
were stabilized.
About the only real use for II
now (aside from possible at
tempts at terroriZation) Is at
points where the enemy must
hold or advance through narrow
places. especially low marshy
ground. A retreating force espe-
cially, under these conditions,
could effectively use gas TO de-
lay an enemy advance.
Tl1E Japs need not deny that
Il they have used gas on 70 or
more occasions in their war in
China. A place where they
relied heavily on this hated
weapon was at Ichang at the
head of the Yangtze River.
The Japs had taken that town
and the Chinese were counter
attacking. The Japs stopped the
counter-attack by laying down a
gas barrage.
Again, in recent weeks. the
Japs used gas around Kinhwa.
The Chinese held the city for
seven days against Jap attacks
until heavy barrages of gas
shells were fired into the town.
On most of the other occa-
sions the use was limited and
In some, experimental.
IT is strange, but true, 10 learn
Il now, after all we anticipated
about prospective gas terroriza-
ton in this war, that few
advances in its demoniacal eff
cheney have been made by any
nation since the last war. The
improvements are nothing like