Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-08-01
Mr.. on Producer, you're a soldier.

Mr.. Oil Producer, you're soldier
And yOu are not merely a buck private
in the rear rank.
There is none standing over you to bark
out commands That isn't necessary for the
kind Of soldier you are. Yours IS the COM
mandO type of service where each man has
a given objective but is left to use his own
initiative in its accomplishment
We are pretty well agreed that the various
agencies at Washington have a pretty poor
conception Of the situation in the Pacific
northwest and Alaska. It viii take japanese
bOmbs-which are certainly coming-tO get
the OPA and OPC and OTC and other
agencies to take the steps that will be nee
essary when the bombs come.
There are possibly some people in Wash
ingtOn who think that the defeat Of the
Japanese at Midway ended the war That is
the implication from the attitude of some
Washington officials Senator NJ. c. Wall
gren of the state of Washington, known per-
sOnaIly to the writer, Is not the excitable
type yet he is today shouting unheeded con-
demnatiOn Of higher ups in Washington"
for failure to meet the Japanese threat in
Alaska. The Japs should be driven out Of
the AIeutian islands NOW, he says Just as
defense Of the Pacific northwest that must
be done now or later.
81 can't especially find any criticism Of
the army and navy on the coast" Senator
Wallgren said in an interview at San Fran
cisco, 'but 1 think the higher-ups in Wash
ingtOn who determine strategy should take
steps to drive them out Immediately. They're
digging in and entrenching themselves daily.
Every day the Japs are allowed to stay
there means that il VIII take that much
longer or more to drive them out And
every day they are allowed to stay there
means that many, many more American
lives are going to be lost before they are
driven out.
II can't see why something isn't done at
once, without delay"
This Is quoted merely to show that the
Pacific northwest and Alaska are q long
way from Washington, ID. c., and Washing
ton, ID. c. is not able to think In terms
of tomorrow and the next day. There are
troops to be conveyed to Ireland; there are
bOmbers to be loaded for the far points Of
the globe. The problems are so great and
so pressing that only tOday's problems can
be dealt with. When bombs start dropping
on SeattIe-that will be time enough to
start figuring out how to deal with the
little monkey men-Or that is apparently
the line of reasoning.
Many congressman feel that since the APP
prevail Of highway to Alaska, the obliga-
tiOns to the northwest are cared for. They
have visions that when this highway is COM
pIeted, it viii be a simple matter TO care
for Alaska.
Many Of us poor desk-top strategists
thought that the AIeutian islands-especial-
Iy the fine harbOrs which Japan has seized
were already established as submarine
bases We even vEsualized the possibility that
Russia's vast fleet of One-man submarines
were already hiding in the Aleutians where,
hidden by fog, they could forever bar the
way to water-bOrne invasion of the Pacific
northwest. That IS Of course, the logical
route Of invasion and If Japan Is 10 win
this war IL viii be by way Of the short
route. Seattle Is the closest American city
70 Tokyo, over the northern circle.
But now It appears that the United States
does not have the lower Aleutian islands.
Japan Is digging in" japanese
forces cannot be very. large as yet, but they
viii grow.
what Is Japan doing since its successful
conquest Of the far east? Is it safe TO say
that Japan is taking a vacation? Or Is Japan
now preparing for more daring attack
han that on "impregnabIe" Singapore?