Evening star., 1942-06-16
The Aleutiun Islands

in the grand strategy OF this war is
far too great to dismiss the japanese
occupation Of Attu as a face-saving
gesture, and nothing more. It may
be true that the Toxic press, in de-
scribing Admiral Yamamoto's ILL
fated venture against Midway as only
a successful feint to divert American
attention from the real thrust at the
Aleutians, is attempting to cover up
what was probably the Japanese
Navy'S most decisive defeat of this
or any other war. But, assuming this
duplicity on the part of Japan's press,
the fact remains that a successful
enemy occupation Of any part of the
Aleutians might prove to be a very
serious matter for us, and the dis
closure that the japanese have lost
cruiser and sustained serious dam
age to an aircraft carrier and several
other warships in their Aleutian
attack indicates a major effort on
their part in that area.
The Aleutian Island chain stretches
from the tip Of Alaska nearly 1000
miles toward Russia's Kamchatka
base of Petropavlovsk. From Kiska,
in the Western Aleutians, where we
have established a naval reservation,
1t is only 300 miles by air to Petro-
pavlovsk. These are some of the rea-
sons why the Hepburn Board, dis
cusSing the question of air bases in
relation to Alaskan defense in its
1888 report, said that from a stra-
tegic point of view the area of great
est Importance is in the Aleutian
chain of islands"
From the sketchy information
which has been made available, it
appears that the japanese have
landed troops only on Attu Island,
which is farthest west of all the
Aleutians, and have engaged in naval
operations in Kiska harbor, about 100
miles nearer Alaska. This, of course,
by no means gives satisfactory pic
ture of what is occurring in that fog
shrouded area, but even with this
paucity Of information it seems clear
that the occupation of Attu is not an
offensive threat to Alaska proper. If
the japanese were firmly established
on Attu, or even at Kiska, they would
still be long way from our main
Alaskan naval base at Kodiak Island,
or our principal subsidiary base at
Unalaska. But from a defensive
standpoint, particularly in event of
war with Russia, bases at Attu and
KiSka might prove highly useful to
the japanese.
Too often, in discussing the posi-
bility of opening a second front in
Europe to aid Russia, we lose sight
of the fact that the japanese may
open second front in the Far East
to aid Germany. It is as certain as
anything can be in war that Japan's
fate is inseparably linked to that of
Germany. Should the Germans be
beaten in Europe the japanese
scarcely could continue to hope for
ultimate victory in the East, and that
being the case there is every reason
to fear that Japan may be compelled
by force of circumstances to attack
Russia. In that not unlikely eventu-
ality the Russians, certainly, would
look to the United States for sub
Stantial aid, and the Aleutian STEP
ping stones to. Kamchatka and ST.
IBERIA then would assume a new and
vital Importance.
Admittedly, weather conditions and
the terrain in the Aleutians are not
conducive to sustained aerial opera
tions. But, nevertheless, there are
many who believe that in event of
war between Japan and Russia we
can and must move aviation from
Alaska to Petropavlovsk and vladi-
vostok via the Hleutians. It has also
been suggested that troop reinforce
ments and supplies for the Russians
might be sent from this country by
ship over the relatively safe sea route
through Bering Strait and along the
Arctic coast of Siberia to the Lena
River, which is navigable to the city
Of Yakutsk, the latter being con-
nected by road to a town 500 miles
away on the Trans-S Siberian Railway.
1t may seem fantastic even to sug-
gest that the United States might
use such little-known routes as these
to carry the war to Japan. Yet this
war has seen many a supposed i'm
possibility come true, and we should
not blind ourselves to the prospect
that Japan, in pushing her north
eastern military frontier from the
Kuriles to the Aleutians, may be
seeking to cut these possible supply
lines as a preliminary step to the
seemingly inevitable clash with the
Soviets.
n.