Evening star., 1942-04-28
Three States Darken
CoasiIine Tonight
By Army Orders
New York. Jersey and
Delowore 10 Dim OUT
Lights Along Shore
~ the Associated Press

8y tne Aea5C}&tcd pr6st.
NEW YORK. April 5eagoing
watchdogs stat keeping tabs on
lights high in New York's skyscrap-
ers tonight as three States darken
their coastline by Army orders.
Nightly an offshore patrol will re-
port any violations OF rigid blackout
and dimout regulations covering
New York. New Jersey and Delaware
as far back as ID miles from the
shoreline, and the penalty may be
q complete blsckout.
Acting swiftly on Sundays an
nouncement by 1t. Gen. Hugh A.
Drum. commanding general OF the
Eastern Defense Command and
LIST Army. that the entire Atlantic
scaboard soon would become q mill
tary area. Maj. Gen. irving J.
Phiilipson, commanding general of
the I'd Corps Area issued the tri-
State lighting rules last night.
The LIST Corps Area at Boston, the
Sd at Baltimore and the 4th at At
lanta, which with the I'd Corps Area
here viii control the conduct of
$4,000 900 civilians In the Eastern
military area, are expected to issue
SPECIFIC lighting regulations shortly.
Provisions Of Order.
Gen. Phillipson's order provided,
among other things, that "all lights
In buildings above the 18th floor
shall be exttnguished after sundown
or In lieu thereof the windows Of
such rooms shall be shaded In q
manner 70 prevent direct rays of
light therein from shining outside
of such buildings"
He further instructed that street,
highway and parkway lights be
shaded to prevent their direct rays
from being visible from the sea or
shining at an angle above the
horizontal: that outdoor advertis-
ing signs be so shaded or ex-
tinguished; that all exterior Shore
line lights not necessary to trafic
be extinguished nightly. and that
automobiles not use their bright
lights whether parked or moving
when visible from seaward.
Nightly inspections from the sea
viii be made to determine the ef-
fectiveness Of this dimming out"
he said. Should these measures
not prove suficient to obviate the
necessity fer stricter regulations,
complete blackouts may be pre-
scribed for localities or communi-
ties that fail to meet the re-
quirements.
Voluntary Basis Not Effective.
Attempts have been made to
dim this shore lighting on a volun-
tary basis. This has not been en-
tirely effective. 1t Is now found
necessary TO control shore lighting
along the coast Of this corps area,
first through the enforcement of
definite regulations for the dim
ming of lights and, second, If this
does not prove eficacious, then TO
enforce a complete blackout In q
locality which fails TO meet the
provided requirements; or, third, to
enforce complete blackout along
the entire coast"
Establishment of the Eastern
MlIitary area, which Gen, Drum
said would take place at "an early
date" was denounced last night by
the American Civil Liberties Union,
which In . letter to Secretary of
War Stitnson declared.
I'VE view with grave concern
the whole proposal as it affects
American citizens whose rights to
remain In the area are thus sum-
marily attacked. We shall be re-
gretfully obliged to support q test
Of its constitutionality."
The letter referred specifically to
Gen. Drums explanation that when
the Atlantic seaboard became a
military area, the Army would have
the right to evacuate citizens as
well as aliens who might be deemed
dangerous In remaining at large in
the area.