The Wrangell sentinel., 1946-06-14
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERTSCOPE

Transfer, announced this week, of Lieut.. Gen. Delos c. Emmons from command of the Alaskan Deartment to a post in the States brings a tinge of genuine regret to many AL askans. During his tour of duty in the Territory Gen Emmons has made a host of friends and his co., operation with Alaskans has been outstanding. One of the four or five top-ranking generals in the Army at the beginning of the war. Gen Elm mons came to the Alaskan Depart ment from the Western Defense Command with headquarters in San Francisco two years ago. His new post in the States has not been made public. He will be succeeded by Maj. Gen Howard A. Craig, former As sistant Chief of Air Staff in tue Army Air Forces.
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 Alaska defenses, or what may be lack of them, are again being em- phasized in the national picture. The fact that Russian soil is only a short hop across the Bering Strait from Alaska tends to focus the attention. Marquis Childsu Washington news writer, raises some interesting points in a recent col umn of comment on the Alaska sit uation. Said he:
 "The story of our defense system in Alaska, our farthest frontier, isl a curious one. The Army and Navy together have poured more than a billion dollars into Alaska. great chain of bases has been built in southern Alaska and the Aleutians. With one or two minor exceptions, these bases are hundreds of miles in the worst flying weather in the world-from the nearest border of cur wartime ally, Russia.
 One of the minor exceptions isl Bethel, a base built at the head of Kuskokwim Bay, which is about 300 air miles north of the Aleutians. Bethel is now being decommissioned, | as is another base on the west coast, Naknek. The major bases were all aimed at Japan. They are far out in the Aleutian chain. Per haps the largest is at Adak.
 Although it was hidden by top secret reEtrictions, start was made on a base on the Seward peninsula, which is nearest the great Asiatic land mass. At great cost, materials were hauled to Port Clarence, north of Nome They were to go into ] base back of Port Clarence. Those l materials have now been declared surplus. The plans for the base have been abandoned. The whole af northwest Alaska is without any real defense system.
 All through the war, Alaska was a major ferry point for lend-lease planes going to Russia. American pilots were not allowed to deliver those planes on Russian soil. h. stead. Russian pilots were flown to Fairbanks, 500 miles in the Inter- ior" 1
 Writer Childs makes the point that while Russia shouts about what it terms imperialistic aims on the part of Uncle Sam, the fact ~e- mains the U. S. had done nothing in Alaska defense which could be termed an aim at Russia.
 "If the U. S. had imperialistic ', aims that in anw way involved Sov- jet Russia, then the first place to establish bases would be where the two borders are only 54 miles a. part" he points out "This country has shown no intention of fortiiy- ing our side of that border What Russia is doing on the other side is only one small part of the great unknown"
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 Alaska's veteran setup, created byI the special session, is getting under way and processing of loans will soon be started. Commissioner Nor 1 man Haley is getting a staff lined up and by the time the vets board meets next month it is anticipated that some loans will have been made. Major requests from World |, War II vets appear to be for loans. rather than bonuses, also provided for under the veterans act.
 (Continued on Page Four)