Evening star., 1942-07-22
Leohy
Continued From First PageD

transport and one cruiser sunk; one
destroyer probably sunk, and four
cruisers, two 3estroyerS, one aircraft
carrier, one gunooat and one trans
port damaged.
Air Attacks Continuing.
These l6 ships sunk and damaged
went 70 pay for japanese occupa-
ton of three islands-Kiska, Attn
and Agat15u-sll at the western eX-
treme of the Aleutian chain. The
Navy said Army bomoers recently
made several attacks on the Jap
anese encampment at Kiska and on
ships in Kiska Harbor.
United States Army and Navy
aircraft are continuing joint opera
tions against the enemy forces the
communlqIe concluded. =
On The shipping crisis, the Ship
ping Administration gave this re-
port:
Shipping losses during the week
of July IL reached their highest
level since the beginning of the war.
While construction in American
shipyards is breaking all records,
sinkings of United Nations ships
through enemy action and marine
casualties have greatly exceeded new
construction
CONSTRUCTION of new merchant
tonnage in Great Britain continues
within the limits of its available
supply of labor and materials, but
the volume is not large. The great
bulk of new shipping must come
from American yards supplemented
by the production of Canadian
yards, which turn out relatively
small tonnage compared to the
United States.
No Essential Cargoes Left.
"It can be stated that no essential
military cargoes have been left on
piers because of lack of ships. The
War Shipping Administration has
been able, by radical conversion of
our shipping resources to war opera
tions, to meet the necessarily eX-
acting requirements of our armed
services"
The report said that because of
losses the Shipping Administration
has had to accelerate the appli-
cation of it's policy to limit space
in ships under it's jurisdiction to
cargoes essential to prosecution OF
the war, whether the cargoes are
for export or for import"
This policy, it said, has been ap-
piled through the United Nations
shipping pool to all ships, regardless
of flag or ownership, and has made
available a substantial increase ir
cargo space for war goods.
Shipping losses, the Alaskan battle
and all military aspects of the wal
would come under a supreme gen.
eral staff.
Military and naval men who re-
fused to be quoted by name talked Of
the possibility that such an unprece-
dented command organization nigh,
include Gen. George C. Marshall
Army Chief of staff, and Admira
Ernest j. King, commander in CHIEF
of the United States Fleet.
Confidence in Judgment.
Whether an air officer might alsC
be named was not known, but the
name of 1t. Gen. Henry H. Arnold
chief of Army Air Forces, figured
prominently in speculation.
Mr.. Roosevelt gave little specific
information as to what Admira
Leahy's functions will be. Asked i
the appointment meant that thu
President intended to assume mor'
active direction of war strategy, h
replied with laugh that this hardl,
would be possible
He answered the question in thi
way, the Chief Executive explained
to his press conference, because h.
has been spending lot of time IL
reading reports, gathering opinion
and such work in connection will
war plans, and needed some one t.
help save him time.
He picked Admiral Leahy. Mr.
Roosevelt added. as one in whose
Judgment he has great deal O.
confidence to save him considerable
work by doing the leg work" ant
summarizing war problems befor'