Detroit evening times., 1943-08-30
Our Vital Rocky Specks

v
THE President Of the United States speaking before
! the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa displayed
amazing lack of understanding of the vital Importance Of
the Aeutan Islands in war with Japan
Tie ridCuled the anxiety felt by many Americans and
Canadians over the prolonged failure to assemble sut-
feent forces against the Japanese 10 accomplish the
removal Of the Japs from few rocky specks IN the
Aleutians
He beltted the military significance of the Japanese
occupation and suggested the threat ot an invasion OF
the continent Of North America based on the Aeutans
was only "a great to-do
TE EVEN dlsparaged the American campaign for
1 recovery of the *ieutIans calling 1t "a relatively
small campaign assisted by the Japs themselves.
The President apparently was badly Informed about
the military importance Of the Aeutans before the war
and seemingly has learned little about them since.
The rocky specks" for which he has such slight
respect if they had been oresightedly fortified by the
United States would have given us formidable and i'm
precnabe bases within 750 miles of the northernmost
Islands Of Japan itself from which could have bombed
Japan at the outset Of the present war.
In Japanese hands they represented our own dagger
TURNED ABOUT and pointed at the heart of America
instead Of the heart OF Japan
BORROWER. they were AMERICAN possessions and
vi the administration should be interested in American
10 them occupied by the Japanese
was embarrassing and humliatng to the American
people not to mention dangerous.
Our pre-war policy regarding the Aleutians, unfor-
tunatey, WAS modelled after the Presidents miscon-
cepuon.
tainly CONDUCTED according TO that msconcepton
Because the Roosevelt administration alocated
limited armed forces to the task 1t took those efficient
and heroic forces than year to end the japanese
occupation and relieve the American Pacific Coast
the danger of japanese bombardment and INVASION
ND these American forces lost very heavily in the
"A proeess-probablY twice heavily as would have
occurred if they had been twice strong
Furthermore. there many OTHER rocky specks-
in the vast Paeifie-the Solomon Islands in the south
Pacific among them-that have taken the efficient and
heroic but INADEQUATE army and navy OF the United
States more than year to end Japanese occupation
In all these operations forces have lost more
heavily than necessary because they were NOT-AS
STRONG AS NECESSARY.
And there are several THOUSAND such islands
STILL occupied by Japan and at our past and present
rate of progress would take MANY YEARS to accom-
psh their recovery.
The army and the navy of the United States have
surely performed superby and have accomplished great
deal with the Limited forces at their command
7 T Is not their fault according to their wish and
/ knowledge, that forces of Pacific warfare have
been and are still exceedingly LIMITED
American FIGHTING men want adequate support
for the in the Pacific.
AMERICAN ADMIRAI.S AND GENERALS HAVE
BEGGED FOR 1T.
But our forces in the Pacific will probably continue
to be limited as long the administration considers Gen
Macarthur formidable candidate for the presidency.
Perhaps it is because President Roosevelt is purely
an East Coast President who does not consider anything
west of the River of much consequence that our
"rocky specks in the Pacific very unimporant
TO him.
Since the war in the Pacific is ma jor war and
since immediate action against the Japanese vital
TO it's prompt and successful conclusion perhaps need
president from the coast one who understands the
Pacific better and who appreciates better the omnous
and growing menace OF Japan