Milford chronicle., 1947-12-05
Radar Bolsters
Arctic Defense
Fir Force Lifts Curtain on
Activities in Alaska
During Last Year.

- WASI1INGTON.-A bristling net
work of defenses in strategically |
critical Alaska. an integrated sys-
tenn including such installations as
radar warning stations, under
ground command posts and fighter
fields is being projected by the air
force.
The air force high command, in
an official summary, lifted corner
Of the curtain OH air force activities
on the arctic frontier during the last
year These include more than 100
flights over the geographical north
pole and its immediate vicinity"
The air force statement did not.
say how far these arctic projects
had been advanced. but army engi-
neers and the air force have been
authorized, so far, to spend more
than % million dollars in Alaska. In
addition to announced construction
programs for Ladd field, Mile 26
and the Nenana air base Call in the
general area Of Fairbanks) there
have been unconfrmed but unde-
MED reports Of new bases being
built on the Arctic ocean rim Of
Alaska and Canada.
Seek Oil Formations.
IN addition to surveying for the
defense sites. the reconnaissance
sQuadrons have carried on two other
projects exploratory flights for es-
tablishing regularly scheduled air
transport service. and photomap-
ping q $4,000 square mile area ''to
determine the possibility Of oil for
nations" !" (This presumably may be
q reference to the exploration for oil
begun by tie navy during the war in
the region Of Point Barrow.)
Valuable geographical. naviga-
tional and weather discoveries that
have been made include the fact
that there are three magnetic north
poles instead Of one. CA magnetic
pole is the point toward which an
ordinary magnetic compass turns.1
The poles are located in an ellipti-
cslIy shaped area with the major
pole on Prince Of Wales island, in.
stead of the long reported position
at the lower tip of Boothia penin.
sula. There are local poles on Bath
urst island and Boothia peninsula,
the statement said.
Supplements Testimony.
The air force news announcement
served to implement testimony ear
lier this year by Gen. Carl Spaatz
USAF chief of staff. and 1t Gen
IRA C. Eaker. then deputy AAF com
mander and now retired.
Spaatz said that the combination
of large populations and vast indus
trial resources provided three pos
sible areas in the northern hemi
sphere from which attacks on The
United States might be launched
western Europe, eastern EurasiI
and nearby islands in the westerl
Pacific, the land mass Of centra
Asia" He referred to long rang
bonbers and the possibilities of lon
range guided missiles and the path
for them over the pole. This, sal
he. changes our whole defense piC
ture; it means, for example. ths
we must have chain of radar stl
tons looking northward to discove
the enemy weapons and we mui
have means of intercepting an
destroying them"
Eaker spoke on the need Of bass
for American long range bomber
closest to possible enemy targets
and referred to the need for two ne
major air bases, one in northeI
Maine (which now is being built |
Limestone). The other, Eaker sal
was urgently needed I'm the locatiC
which would put us closest to Il
industrial capacity in one Of q
three areas mentioned by Gener
Spaatz." His reference here appa
emily was to Alaska.