Evening star., 1945-07-10
Yanks Able 10 Land
On Japan Where They
Please, Barley Says
BY the Associated Press.

SAN FRANCISCO, July TO-
japan will be beaten by next sum
mer, at least-it merely is a ques'
ton of whether they want to b,
completely smashed or quit befor,
their country is entirely destroyed
in the opinion Of Vice Admira
Daniel z. Barley, commander oi
the 7th Amphibious Force.
The gray-haired veteran of 81
amphibious landings-more thar
any other man has ever directed
expressed his views yesterday at G
press conference shortly after ar.
irving from Manila by air, en- route
to Washington for conferences with
the Navy Department.
-' The Japanese "are going to BIZ
iicked," he said fatty, adding:
. THE military knows it and the
government knows it. What re-
mains to be seen is whether they
will go on fighting until the coun-
try has been destroyed or until they
acan't fight any more"
Land on Own Terms.
Regardless of what the Japanese
decide, the American invasion forces
can land when and where they
please, the admiral asserted, wheth-
er in China or Japan or anywhere
in the world"
Japan is pretty big place and
so Is the coast OF China" he went
on. 'We are on the offensive-we
can choose our spot to land. It's
impossible for the defenders to be
strong everywhere.
He said both China and Japan
had excellent beaches"
Recognized as one Of the founders
of modern amphibious methods, he
has landed more than million men
and 100000 tons of cargo since he
took over as Gen. MacArthur's am
phibious officer. The rocket-firing
Lei Qanding craft infantry is one
of Admiral Barbey's many innova-
tions, and he won the Legion of
Merit for work in the Africa land
ings.
Foes Poorer in Air.
"The kamikaze suicide attacks are
serious" he said Anything is Sc
rious in war that causes damage.
They have damaged our ships and
killed our men. However, although
they have hurt us, the question is
whether we haven't hurt their air
force more.
II think the Japanese air force
is deteriorating at a rapid rate,
and to a great extent believe the
kamikazes are responsible.
mo loss we have suffered to date
has been commensurate with our
gains, nor have they (the kami-
kazes) delayed us one day. Any
thing that will destroy their power
is to our advantage"
Admiral Barley said one of the
steps necessary for successful land
ings on the Asiatic mainland is To-
cal air control, which he said I'VE
are now in position to attain" If
land-baSed planes can't maintain
that superiority alone, then carrier
based aircraft can be called on to
throw their power into the battle.
Bornec Attack Lighter.
Admiral Barley revealed that Al
lied commanders expected the North
Borneo operation would be tougher
than it was. One reason it wasn't
was that measures were taken to
combat possible Japanese use Of
Balikpapan's rich oil deposits as a
fire weapon. But two weeks Of
aerial pounding and the preparatory
bombardment from the sea drove
the Japs off the beaches and the
flarning-oil trick fizzled.
Admiral Barley laughingly re-
called the D day incident at Balik-
papan when Japanese snipers fired
at him and Gen. Macarthur. "The
Navy beat the Army to the foxhole,"
he said. Il jumped in but Gen.
Macarthur stayed upright" He
said the general has great personal
courage"