Evening star., 1942-03-01

rdlid, in India or eUen beyond.
in the acquisition of the great bastions
of Occidental power in the China Sea.
From the naval bases at Hong Kong,
Manila, Singapore, Camranh Bay and
Soerabaja, the Western nations for years
have controlled the sea lanes of that
area. Now the democracies have not
a single drydock of battleship size from
Pearl Harbor westward to the Mediter-
ranean Sea.
The Toxic militarists will have real
lied their dream of a Greater East
Asia" II they add to their conquests the
rest Of the Indies. Burma and the Mari
time Provinces of Siberia.
But they could never feel secure In
their possessions as long as China and
Russia were able to strike back. And
they know that, unless the United Ma
tions suffer catastrophe defeat in Eu-
rope, the United States and Great Brit
ain eventually will battle their way once
again into the China Sea. The sound of
Americas armament factories in rising
crescendo must remind the japanese that
they have only limited time in which
to consolidate their gains
Japs Face Two Alternatives.
Unless they want to gamble on Hitler
winning the war in the next year or So
experts say they have only two alterna-
tives:
To try plunge into India in order to
choka off the SIIppliar ooipo to rtjoo md
Russia, perhaps. at the same time at
tempting to hasten Russia's defeat by
attacking her in Siberia and forcing her
to fight on two fronts;
Or to seek to push the United States
Fleet back upon the American mainland
and thus make an American sortie upon
the China Sea infinitely more difficult
While this country holds Hawaii and
Alaska, it is within striking distance of
the Japanese strongholds. Once the
fleet is reconstructed, it will be in
position to work out from Pearl Harbor
into the Japanese Mandated Islands,
mopping up one submarine or flying base
after another, establishing its own bases
and communication lines toward the
Southeast Pacific and some day seizing
one Of the old, lost naval bases.
Then the second phase of the offensive
would begin: Establishing air and naval
supremacy in the waters surrounding
the japanese Empire and finally chal-
longing the Japanese Fleet and carrying
the assault to the enemys main islands.
Another feasible attack would be by
way of the bases on the Aleutian Islands,
stretching far out from the Alaskan Pen
insula. If the Russians entered the
war. contact with them might be made at
their base at Petropavlovsk, which is
about halfway to Vladivostok.
Attack on Alaska Feared.
Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutians, is only
2,462 miles from Tokio-a not impossible
bombing distance. Pearl Harbor, in
Hawaii, Is only about 1000 miles from
the heart of the Mandated Islands. A
fleet can usually operate safely 1000
miles or so away from its bases. But If
the United States ships and planes were
forced back from these outposts onto the
mainland, they would be about $500
miles from Japan proper and $500 miles
from Singapore. They could not pos
sibly strike effectively at the Japanese
until the outlying bases had been re-
gained.
The suggestion that Japan might at
tempt this feat, perhaps simultaneously
attacking Alaska, Hawaii and the Pana-
ma Canal, was never seriously consid-
cred by informed observers until re-
Gently. The operation would involve
maintaining a transport system over
three -fourths of the Pacific Ocean. Al
ready Japan has strung her communica-
tions lines 5000 miles south of Toxic,
necessitating long voyages In order to
ship supplies to scores OF points where
Jap troops are stationed.
But after what has happened In the
past three months, one finds seasoned
observers giving serious thought to state