Evening star., 1942-08-24
BY HARRY MACARTHUR.

BY HARRY MACARTHUR.
The Mayor OF Unalaska is hop
ping mad"
He said so here today and added
People down here ought to get
wise to themselves. They ought to
realize that we're in war and it's
4 serious proposition
zone Of the most heart-breaking
things to soldier up in Alaska is to
turn on the radio and hear there is
q strike going on somewhere in the
States"
Further said the Mayor, a small
but sturdy, bronzed former coast
guardsman named John w. Fletcher,
people shouldn't complain about
giving 10 per cent Of their income
to the war effort. Mr.. Fletcher
has seen people give 100 per cent In
his home town, which is right next
to Dutch Harbor.
These sentiments make Mr..
Fletcher admirably suited to his
present chore, tour Of the country
IN behalf Of the Treasury Depart
ment's War savings staff.
Attack No Surprise.
The Mayor. to be sure, was not
surprised that morning OF June 8
when Jap planes dropped the war
In his front yard. Two months be-
fore the attack on Dutch HArbor
the people Of Unalaska were warned
that they might expect raids.
Even the outbreak OF war with
Japan itself was no surprise to the
people OF the Aleutians. They had
had contact with the Japanese be-
fore and had learned enough about
their ways that there is sign at
Unalaska announcing: mo Japa-
nese Wanted"
asa There was the case of the JAP
anese Bureau of Fisheries training
ship. which used to turn up at reg
ular intervals. Four years ago, on
Its last trip. it put in at one Of the
Aleutian Islands and an officer be-
decked with the gold of high office
IN the Japanese Navy stepped down
with q cheerful greeting to the
startled townspeople. He had been
cook there for years before leaving
seven months before.
There was the Ship that arrived at
Dutch Harbor eight years ago when
the Japanese had announced plans
for daring round -the-world fight.
The ship stayed three months, It's
crew busily taking pictures and max
ing notes. Only once did they find
any opposition. A chief petty officer
in charge of the Nays radio install
lation once resented the fact that
japanese was taking pictures of his
equipment, 80 he quietly and rudely,
Mr.. Fletcher says, took the camera
and exposed the film. The round
the-world plane never took off from
Toxic.
Mysterious Slayings.
There were the reports of trappers
who returned from trips to sup
posedly deserted islands in the
chain to tell of japanese parties
landing and exploring. Every two
or three years a pair Of trappers
would not return. Their shacks
would be found burned to the
ground, the bodies inside. Close in
vestigation revealed bullet holes in
their skulls. Such mysteries never
were solved, but Mr.. Fletcher thinks
he knows what happened.
There were the fishermen, the
endless Japanese fishermen. The
native fishermen almost started
small war OF their own several years
ago when, resenting Japanese
poaching, they threatened to take
guns out in their boats and start
shooting. They compromised four
years ago by setting out one night
on campaign Of destruction of
thousands of dollars worth OF Japa-
nese fishing nets.
Despite all the Japanese prepara-
ton, however, Mr.. Fletcher is con-
vinced that they knew nothing
about military installations at Dutch
Harbor. If they had, he says, they
would have tried to bomb them In
stead OF planting bombs on barracks
and warehouses.
People Well Prepared.
The people Of Unalaska were well
prepared, Mr.. Fletcher says, when
the Japanese came. Dugouts had
been carved out Of the sides of banks,
with the aid of soldiers sent from
Fort Mears. And at the suggestion
OF the commanding general every
one in town, except for a few who
believed there would be no attack,
had prepared an individual L.
shaped trench for protection in
event Of strafing by low-nying
planes. Children had been evac-
uated.
| Mr.. Fletcher's first warning that
the attack was actually under way,
he said, was the sound of anti air.
craft fire "and plenty of it," This
was hardly surprise, though. I'VE