(Continued from page 2).
easterly extremity to a point less than
750 miles from the main body of the conti
nental United States, at its far westerly
end in the Aleutian Islands to within 700
miles of the Japanese Archipelago, and ap
proximately 260 miles from the Soviet nav
al and military base on Bering Island; and
in most of that vast distance the coastline
affords a multitude ef bays and inlets and
fiords and harbors, furnishing ample anch
orage and shelter to ocean craft, and dif
ficult to enter or take if properly forti
fied. It is an ice-free coast all the
year round.
"Nor is that all. As any ordinary
world globe will show you, the great cir
cle route, the direct route and, therefore,
the strategic line between the main body of
the United States and the northern nations
of eastern Asia, namely, Japan and Soviet
Russia, lies thru or along the coast of
Alaska, and that line is at least 2,300
miles north of the Hawaiian Islands.
"It is not any exaggeration to say that
the control of Alaska - and by that is
meant real control, control which has more
than naked land to depend upon, control
which is made effective by strong defensive
works and installations - means control of
the North Pacific from the Orient to the
coast of the United States.
"Many think that by reason of the fact
that we hold the Hawaiian Islands in force,
and that we have expended at Pearl Harbor i
in permanent military and naval develop
ments more than $450,000,000, we are there
fore safe as far as the Pacific is concern
ed. Those who think that are merely in
dulging in wishful thinking, because noth
ing could be further from the truth than
their conclusion that our armed authority
over the Hawaiian Islands means our domin
ation of those parts of the Pacific in
which our interests lie. They are probab
ly misled by the cliche that "Hawaii is the
key to the Pacific." Without deprecating
in any manner the high importance of having
ample defense works in the Hawaiian Islands
let us, in order to promote exact thinking
on the subject, change the figure of speech
and say that the Hawaiian Islands offer a
door for entry into the United States, a
door that has now been measurably locked
and barred by the enormous defensive forces
and establishments contained at Pearl Har
bor and in that vicinity. But, after all,
the Hawaiian Islands are only a backdoor,
or eidedoor; and the main entrance to the
United States on the Pacific side, from
military and naval viewpoints, is not thru
the Hawaiian Islands, nor within 2,000
miles thereof, but lies instead directly
thru Alaska and along the coast of Alaska.
There i3 no gainsaying that; there is no
denying it; because it is true by the irre
futable facts of geography. The late,
great General -Villiam Mitchell, who was
dismissed from the Army in disgrace because
he too vigorously expressed views which are
not seen to be indisputable, remarked once
before a Congressional Committee that Al
aska is the most important strategic area
in the world. While General Mitchell's
statement covered a lot of territory, Al
aska is unquestionably of the highest
strategic value to the people of the Uni
ted States, and its adequate defense is a
matter of necessity for the national safe
ty.
"With Alaska undefended, any forces
moving against the United States across the (
Pacific Ocean will necessarily move on the
shortest line, on the general principle
announced by the really capable General
Nathan Bedford Forrest, that if one expects
to win a battle, he must get there first
with the most men - the greatest striking
power. That fundamental rule of military
strategy is as old and as steadfast and as
unchangeable as the ageless mountains. Her
odotus tells us how Cyrus,in following that
principle, brought into subjection and
slavery the Lydian Empire under Croesus,
which was then considered the great mili
tary power of the world. Napoleon's most
successful campaigns were founded on it;
and its soundness was exemplified only a
few months ago by the azi generals in eas
ily overrunning well-nign nan oi &urop®«
"Consider for a moment that if Alaska
were in the possession of a hostile power,
all of our defenses in the Hawaiian Islands
are thereby outflanked and rendered unten
able, because the enemy in control of Al
aska would be within 750 miles of the Uni
ted States, on an interior line, while the
Hawaiian Islands are more than 2,400 miles
from our Pacific coast.
"Fortunately for us, this amazing defect
in our defense organization is being cor
rected. Three naval air bases are under
construction in Alaska} one at Sitka, in
southeastern Alaska; one near Kodiak, some
what west of the southern central part of
Alaska; and one at Unalaska, which is loca
ted near the wouthwestern end of the Alaska
Peninsula and near the eastern extremity of
the Aleutain Islands. At the same time
,the Army is building two air bases; a small
one near Fairbanks, almost in the center
of the main body of Alaska and a much lar
ger one near Anchorage, in the south cen
tral part of the Territory. Until less
than six months ago all of our troops in
Alaska consisted of 300 infantrymen situa
ted at Chilkoot Barracks in southeastern
Alaska. Now we have some ground troops
of various types, a thousand or more, ax
Anchorage, and the number is to be consid
erably increased.
"While the military and naval works now
under construction in Alaska are substan
tial, and we who live in the Territory are
profoundly grateful for having this much
done, I suggest that even when the present
appropriations have been completely expend
ed, those works will still be far from ad
equate. mile it nay never be necessary
to station any extremely large forces, eith
er of the Army or Navy, in Alaska, in the
whole Territory we should have something
(Continued on page six.)