Evening star., 1946-05-19
Pacific System of Bases
Task for us. Diplomacy
Naval and Air Centers in Some Areas to Require
Consent of China, Philippines, Australia,
New Zealand and French
By Joseph Hanlon

/ Hanl0n
has been made of British reluctance to
concede what we want in Funafuti, Can
ton and Christmas Islands. Australia
is not entirely happy over our plans for
Manus. Russia may object to the pro-
jected bases on OkinaWa and Formosa.
These are matters for diplomats to work
out and the conversations are already
under way.
North of the Equator the problem is
relatively simple, although not without
complications. There the bases we need
AND did not already have were either
Wrested from a defeated enemy, Japan,
or will be sought with the cooperation
of friendly Allies, as the Philippines and
China, which now has sovereignty over
Formosa.
More Complex to South.
South of the Equator the situation is
more complex, mainly because some OF
the principal bases We need and built
during the war, were held under League
of Nations mandates by Australia, New
Zealand and Great Britain.
ton of United Nations trusteeships, be-
cause the British Empire has signided
its intention to surrender the old League
mandates for the new U. N. trusteeships.
The trusteeship problem exists north Of
the Equator, too, but there it is one to
be solved by definition of American
policy, and south of the Equator there is
Lo Or,11y pf what ure VI
but of accommodating our policy to
the policies of other interested nations.
Our Army, Navy and air forces are
cool toward the idea of trusteeships for
important strategic bases, but the State
Department, recalling the Atlantic
Charters assurance that We seek no
new territories, leans toward acceptance
of trusteeships.
The armed forces recognizing that
trusteeships are in order when con-
siderable native population is involved
as on Okinawa, for instance-flnds little
Justification for them in dealing with
islands which have negligible popula-
| tions and are of Importance only be-
cause of their strategic value.
| Whats the purpose of mandate or
trusteeship?" asked a high-ranking
naval officer in discussing this question
with the writer. rs it not to protect
the native populations pending the
| time when they can become independent
nations? There is no possibility of that
| in the islands we are talking about.
| The former japanese mandates. for eX-
ample, have population of only about
10000 scattered over hundreds of islands
separated by thousands of miles Of
water. Some are simply uninhabited,
and on others you may find a hundred
| or so natives
Two Forms of Trusteeships.
Under the United Nations Charter
there are two forms of trusteeship, one
! for strategic, the other for nonstrategic
areas. Our concern is solely with the
| strategic areas.
| We start with possession, north of the
| Equator, of most of the strategic bases
we want. If We are to seek trusteeship
| status for them, the Charter requires us
| to consult with other nations directly
| concerned and, if they approve, the
United States then asks U. N. Security
| Council for sole trusteeship. If the
Council assents, we have. for all prac-
| tical purposes unrestricted control U. N.
| may ask at any time to inspect a base
| under trusteeship, but the trustee de-
cides whether to permit that.
| However the political questions may
be resolved. the work of improving the
anchorages and airflelds of our wartime
bases is going forward. This had been
planned anyway, on the assumption that
the war would last at least through this
| year Such work must be carried on if
the installations are not to be surrend-
cred to the er-encroaching jungles,
which could in short order swallow up a
neglected facility.
| The -Saipan-T Tinian corner Of
the basic triangle will closely approach
in Importance to the Navy the Pacific
Fleets headquarters at Hawaii but is Of
even greater strategic value to the Army
| Air Force which has constructed tre-
mendous air facilities there.
Hardly of lesser Importance is the
base at Manus, sometimes referred to
as "the Guam of the South" 1t was
| here that the Philippine invasion was
staged. Its best harbor can accommo-
date 1000 ships and with dredging re-
garded as entirely feasible, twice that
many. 1t is one of the islands which
Australia holds under an old League of
Nations mandate
| Secondary Bases Planned.
Outside the Hawaii -Marianas- -Manus
triangle secondary bases would be MAIN
tanned in the Philippines, in the Bonin
and Volcano Islands, within fighter
plane range of the Japanese mainland,
and on Okinawa and Formosa. Kodiak
and Adak would be our principal bases
on the northern flank, with Dutch
Harbor, also in the Aleutians, descend-
ing to reserve status.
Between the secondary and the re-
serve bases there would be another
category. third in Importance, and
classed as subsidiary bases. These would
include Attu in the Aleutians, Midway,
Wake, Samoa, Eniwetok, Kwajalein,
Truk and Palau.
Reserve bases, other than Dutch
Harbor, would be Canton and Funafuti
in the Phoenix Islands, Palmyra in tho
Christmas group, Majuro in the Mar
shalls, and Ulithi in the Carolines. Such
bases would provide emergency landing
fields and temporary fleet anchorages
Before the war, most of these were
strange and meaningless to most Amer
| hot rto