The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-01-15
. Listening
Post
New Navy Can Hi
Hard and Run
Have New Tricks for
Air Raiders. Too
Psredores in Fighting
Zones on Land
In One Place We Wreck;
In Another, Plant
BY ALBERT ". LEMAN

In Another, Plant
BY ALBERT y. LEMAN
NEW YORk-What may be
turning point in naval warfare
took place in the Pacific when
thirty-two japanese bombers and
torpedo planes were shot down
by a United States battleship.
Censorship does not permit de-
tailed disclosure of the technical
secret embodied in our newest
dreadnoughts. But the Japs will
discover to their sorrow that the
North Carolina, Washington, In
diana. Massachusetts, Alabama.
North Dakota and subsequent
thirty-five thousand tonners car
ny every conceivable modern anti
aircraft device. While they were
being constructed unpublished
reports from the yards told that
they were frequently redesigned
to include innovations for meet
ing aerial dangers revealed by
news from the latest battles.
The older titan carried a basket
or lattice mast. This gave height
for observation. Parts of the
mesh could be shot away with
out causing difficulties. How
ever, the spider web shook in
rough seas or in a fight, lower
ing the efficiency of electronic
range finders, submarine detec-
tors and other delicate apparatus.
The steel tripod stick was SUBJ
stituted but this contraption iso-
lated units of the highly integral
ed gunnery system.
Now we have adopted a tower
which contains lookout, bridge,
control stations, director tops
and all the eyes, ears and
senses" It connects with a trans
hitting room far below the armor
line where rapid calculations are
made and sent to the turrets
or pom-poms.
The two-ocean nayy's floating
fortress has antibonib grating in
her smokestack to prevent the
repetition of lucky shots which
sank some of her predecessors.
She glides on an almost keelless
flat bottom to prevent the roll
which spoils m arksman ship.
Plates sheath her decks and fun
nels and antiaircraft guns are
everywhere. She can give it and
take it.
The Spanish Library of In
formation in New York, which
spoke for Franco in the
U. S. A, has suddenly closed
shop. This action may signify
routine retrenchment or it NAV
be the tip-off regarding a new
shift in policy by FL Caudillo.
Even though he behaved while
General Eisenhower debarked.
there are those in high places in
the administration who still dis
trust him. They suspect that his
pulling up stakes in Manhattan
presages no good in Madrid's
relations with our government.
1t has not been divulged beyond
limited federal circles that this
particular Falangist outpost has
been in the bad graces of Wash
ngton. The accusation was made
oy private sources that it peddled
Fascist propaganda even after
we took a diplomatic stand
against the axis. Until fairly
recently it circulated to the
papers of this country a collec-
Ion of news items about Spain
obtained from the cables Of
American press organizations.
the service was discontinued
without explanation. The hither-
o unknown reason for its end
S that the state department
Iuietly stopped the distribution.
One morning squad of F.BI.
gents descended upon head
quarters and searched every file
md cupboard from top to bottom.
International amity was not i'm
'roved when Spanish attendant
old Hoover's men, IF We had
'een engaged in espionage work.
10 you think we would have bean
ools enough to leave anything
round ?"
One of the paradoxes of the
var is that civilized nations are
oing their utmost TO DESTROY
uildngs, machinery and other
ruits OF progress and at the
anne time trying 10 tame the
'iiderness and convert if into
o q uctive enterprises. New
'ork exporters say the public
tue dreams how vast are our
ommitements in the jungles
Lately the banana republics d.
etween Yucatan and Pansm.
ave been replanted TO sisaI s,a
emp. We are sinking oil drills
nd digging mines in Lstin
.merica. Bolivia, whose bond.
ave been In default since 1e2s
as been given a loan which i
'ur times the yearly budget Of
lie country. We are financing
lie transformation of BraziTs
Wee into plastics so that the
1nual five million bags of The
reen beans viii not be burned ss
sual. We have sent -