Evening star., 1942-06-10
U. 5. Planning 10 TAXI
Radio Offensive
Against japanese
Powerful Tronsmitters
To BIunket Pacific on
Uneeosing Schedule
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

Oy DAIAA4S DOA/AA0s
The American Government,
perfecting a far-reaching plan
to take the radio offensive
against the Japanese in the
air-waves above the whole Pa
ciflc Ocean area, has arranged to
send one of the worlds most
powerful radio transmitters to
Alaska, where its operation will
augment four Government-oper-
ated radio stations now on a.
hour service in Hawaii, it was
learned today.
Out to win the war of words
with Japan now, in order to cut
short the time 1t will take to win
the war of armies and navies, Gen.
Delos Emmons, commander Of the
Hawaiian Department., United States
Army, has taken steps to set up a
fifth radio station in Hawaii, from
whence long-wave messages can be
sent into the farthest corners on
the Southern and Western Pacific.
He has had the help OF Col. Will
liam J. Donovan's once Of the CO.
ordinator OF Information.
When the Alaskan and Hawaiian
establishments are complete, the
United States will blanket radio
message communication across the
wide Pacific regions over which we
are contesting with Japan. Their
messages will be stronger than any
originating in Japan.
The organization Of this scheme
to give the Allies radio supremacy
over Japan marks one OF the most
amazing accomplishments OF Amer
lea at war, for after the attack on
Pearl Harbor, almost our only radio
facilities In the Pacific were the
ordinary military and naval trans
mission devices.
Reaches Jap Earn.
Twenty -four hours a day from
Hawaii the voice of America reaches
into Japan itself and to our hope
full friends in the territories held
by Japan. the Philippines, the Meth
erlands Indies. the Marshall and
Caroline Islands. Guam, Wake ana
the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
The four Hawaiian stations, with
a long commercial history, went on
the air soon after December 7.
The Army and the Col have put
them recently on an unceasing day
and might schedule, with a full
program of radio features different
for each station. The programs are
the work of the Col and its Bronze
Network"
Under Army control. like every
thing else in Hawaii, the radio
stations are available at all times
for the transmission of special
Army messages and orders. The
programs ostensibly are designed
for the entertainment of Army and
Navy and civilian personnel in the
Hawaiian area, but they can be
heard by long-wave reception not
only in the Japanese-held regions
but in United Nations strongholds
of the Pacific like Midway, Austria
liza. New Zealand. Fiji, Samoa, New
Caledonia and Tahiti: -
Programs for Soldiers.
The programs fit into the Army
Col major plan for elevating the
morale Of our soldiers in distant
stations. to whom the col, it is
disclosed, sends daily by shortwave
half-hour programs of news on
events and life in the old home
country.
The army has set a goal of
providing one radio short-wave re-
ceiving set for every l25 troops
abroad. in order to make it possible
for all soldiers TO hear the pro-
grams easily.
The latitude Of this scheme is
owing In some measure TO the in
terest taken by Mrs. Roosevelt.
who heard early in May from
soldier stationed in Africa that
what he and his colleagues most
desired was regular news from
America. John Steinbeck and other
American authors of note are writ
ing for this program, which is pre-
pared from the point of view that
it is a newspaper in radio dress"
The Hawaii undertaking marks
the first time in history that the
United States Government has as
sumed direct control over broad
casting on a major plane, although
Government operation is the Gus
tom in Great Britain and many
other European countries. The Ha-
waiian stations accept commercial
advertising.
Alaska Area Assigned.
The Once of Facts and Figures
which has jurisdiction over infor-
nation designed for consumption
in continental and territorial United
States-asked the CIO, the me-
dunn for information for foreign
reception, to take care OF the tech
nical and program details con-
nected with reopening and operat-
ing the Hawaiian stations, and has
also assigned to the Col its juris-
diction in Alaska.
Col. Donovan sent Murray Bro
ply, formerly with the Columbia
Broadcasting System. to Hawaii to
arrange for the stations reopening
and for their supply Of programs.
Some features are being bought
from the American commercial net
works. Some transcriptions are
flown by clipper from the Col San
Francisco off1ce.
The Col daily half-hour Army
morale shows transmitted from
short-wave stations in the United
States are beamed to reach every
American military outpost, includ-
ing Hawaii. They 60 to the Atlantic
islands, the Near East, Ireland and
England, India and Australia.
They were begun as a result of
proposal from Brig. Gen. Frederick
H. Osborn, chief of special services
of the American Army. who Is the
guardian Of military morale. The