Evening star., 1942-04-26
D. {. Raid Setur
Is Inadequate,
lands Warns
Major Revisions
In Communications
System Urged
Nv DON q. WARREN.

Immediate study of proposals b,
Federal o. C. ID. officials for majo
reyisions OF the Districts air rais
and communications control system
was ordered yesterday by the Com.
naissioners after James M. Lands
civilian defense chief, warned thaI
u might be highly dangerous to rely
on the present .tiadequate" plan.
Decentralization of the communi.
cations control system was an out.
standing recommendation made BY
Director Lands in a letter to Com
missioner Young. metropolitan civil
Ian defense co-ordinator.
Numerous other changes in ar.
rangements for receipt and dispatch
of reports and instructions In air
raid protective work were included
In the Lands report, which was
made after a careful review of the
District setup. conducted by o. c. D.
officisls at the request of city au-
thorities.
Points 10 Blackout Test.
Mr.. Lands found that the Dis
tricts communications control sys-
tenn had begged down during the
latest blackout test and he SYM
pathetically but pointedly explained
TO District offlcials that the present
arrangements here did not conform
TO basic principles outlined in the
Federal o. c. d. oficial planning
guide. He added:
I might sum II all up simply by
saying that the present system is
somewhat inadequate to meet the
burden which may be expected, and
accordingly the whole matter should
be gone over from the very begin
ming. This conclusion was reached
only after the most careful review
by members of my staff and nv
personal inspection OF the recent
tblackout, demonstration.
This test showed that the pres
ent arrangements would have
caused incalculable loss OF life and
property If they had been relied
upon during a real raid"
Bolles Suggests Changes.
At the same time, Commissioner
Young had before him urgent rec
concentrations from Col. Lemuel
Bollcs. executive director OF the Dis
trict Defense Council that the COM
rnunications control system be de-
centralized by the establishment of
six subcenters. as suggested by Po-
lice Supt. Edward ]. Kelly. Col.
Bolles suggested that the changes
be made with utmost expedition. !"
He added, 1T is my conviction that
until this Is accomplished, the Dis
trict is NOT prepared to cope effec-
lively with enemy action"
Apparently. officials are somewhat
moved to demand speedy action in
view of beliefs voiced by some au-
thorities that Washington can ex-
pect bombing attack by the enemy
sometime soon because of the raids
by American flyers on Toxic and
other important Japanese cities.
One Of the basic points made in
the Landis report Is that Washing
toms centralized communications
center, is not only inadequate to
serve the need for control and dis
patch and receipt of reports of in
cidents, but that II its service were
disrupted no substitute is available
One advantage of a decentralized
control system is that If the main
office were bombed, the subcenters
could handle the problem.
Six Point Program.
Six specific recommendations we're
made by Mr.. Lands. which may be
outlined as follows:
THAT a full-time controller be
appointed, who would be sorely re-
sponsible for the proper operation
Of the civilian protection system
under air raid conditions. Such a
position is proposed in the o. c. d,
planning guide, but Mr. Lands said
he had not been able to discover
that such a position had been filled
In the District.
2.-That control system plan be
drawn up and reduced to writing
Mr.. Lands said such plan needed
collective judgment by group OF
technically qualified persons and
that 1T is not enough that this plar
be merely a vague understanding
arrived at through casual confer
ences. but that 1t should be written
down. even though subsequent re-
vision may be necessary from time
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