Hawaii Is Pivot Of American-Pacific

Defence Plan

Explanation of Enormous Fortification Expenditure In North East Pacific

Special to “Pacific Islands Monthly” by JOHN WILLIAMS

Honolulu, Oct, 20.

\ GREEING that the Hawaiian Islands form the spearpoint of the defence of America’s west coast from Orient agression, four members of the famous U.S.

House of Representatives sub-committee or naval appropriations, controlling 500,000,000 dollars, have completed a three-day inspection of the army and navy defence projects on the island of Oahu, of which Honolulu is the capital.

Here we have the great Pearl Harbour naval base, said to be the most complete and potent in the world, and the greatest concentration of army forces and forts under the American flag.

There is no need to be a guesser about Uncle Sam’s intentions in the Pacific.

While he is lending a friendly ear to proposals for conferences of the major Pacific Powers, he is. figuratively speaking, oiling his guns and, in fact, adding to them.

It is not by chance that one of these Congressional experts is none other than James G. Scrugham, who is leader of the group. Mr. Scrugham happens to be a former professor of mechanical engineer-

ing of the famed University of Nevada, who has made a special study of antiaircraft developments since the World War. In the war he had high experience in production. He is acquainted with the delieves that too much attention cannot latest confidential improvements and he be focussed on this branch of defence. for » XTrrT ATDr , DArvT , , ■ J\ N 1 A * AA - K CKAI' 1 defence calls for . Paved and banked highways, stratereally interlocked, and the quicker the r pads get there the better and more effecw . ” e tae defence - . Tn e ldea of fixed fort . s in the islands 1S being abandoned for high speed mobile units which must be seen to be believed.

Already the south coast of Oahu is heavily defended, but it is separated from the vulnerable north coast by a high range of mountains across which cuts a highway which climaxes in the Pali, famed among tourists for its bold, commanding view. Often the Pali is weather blanketed, and the highway is narrow, dangerous for high speed traffic such as you must have in war.

The solution; Bore a tunnel through under the Pali. Huge cost, maybe some millions of dollars, but what’s that in strategy’s name?

Where the Pali highway runs down to the sea level of the north coast it hap pens, by a generous accident of nature, that there is a great coral enclosed lagoon with a channel to the open sea. Ideal base for navy patrol airboats. So such a base is to be built. In the future, there fore, heavily armed airboats will roar out from both coasts to meet the invad ers. A two-gun man always takes more watching.

Already, of course, the navy has a super-base for airboats in Pearl Harbour.

To make more room still for the many navy airboats that are under construction for the Hawaii defence scheme, still an other airboat base is to be built between Pearl Harbour and the city of Honolulu.

It is being built in commercial aviation’s name, but the navy will crack down and take over in emergencies, as shipping is commandeered.

These, of course, are all millions-of dollars projects which the Congressional experts are ticking off on their cuffs like the average mortal ticks off his grocery bill.

The Pivotal Point

will appreciate what is happening 1 if you now take a map of the Pacific and look for the following dots north of the equator. Take Wake Island, now an American transpacific airline stop on the way to the Orient. It is being converted into a great navy airboat base. So is Midway Island, another “commercial” air

stop 1,000 miles or so north-east of Wake.

Then between Midway and the Hawaiian Islands look for the French Frigate Shoal. There’s another navy airboat base.

And, again, south of French Frigate, 1,000 miles or so, lies tiny Johnston Is land, which has more airboat facilities than the best base in Australia!

Join up all these points and you will note how nicely they fit in with the Hawaiian scheme, very easy flights for even the present navy equipment. (The best airboats to-day have ranges of 6,000 miles, fully loaded, in average flying weather.) In other words, an airboat to-day, fully loaded with bombs and guns, could fly from Wake Island to Tokio and return with comparative ease!

Now, keeping the map before you, draw lines from Hawaii up to Alaska, then across from Hawaii to California, to Seattle, San Francisco. San Pedro, San Diego, and down to Panama. All these points are heavily defended, heavily based with war materials and, as each month rolls by, they are being better equipped with the latest airboats and anti-aircraft guns.

To-day, the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet announced that between ali these points, next March and April, some 170 warships and over 600 war planes will test each other’s defensive and striking powers. Announcement of these unprecedented war games was made after Admiral Arthur J. Hepburn re

turned from a long conference with navy and war department officials in Washing ton.

The two departments, normally inde pendent of each other in war games, are pooling their resources for better effi-

Top: Part of U.S. services camp on Howland Island, with the mile-long landing-ground for aeroplanes, beyond. Bottom: The buildings erected on Howland Is. for the use of the radio and meteorological staffs.

ciency in the Pacific scheme. The Govern ment is determined to make the Hawaiian Islands with Oahu as the centre, ab solutely impregnable. The present Sino- Japanese war has driven home the ur gency of developing the plan.

At present Hawaii is capable of with standing indefinitely or repelling an at tack by a battle force of any second-class navy, or approximately half the British or Japanese battle fleets, it is claimed.

However, Washington adds, it is not conceivable that any power at present would divert enough warships from home waters and along vital trade arteries to threaten Hawaii. At the same time, all the army and navy forces in Hawaii are to be forthwith improved beyond present conceptions because, so Washington de clares, no risks can be taken with nations in aggressive moods.

Outstanding project already under way is the army’s vast Hickam Field, which is to be the world’s greatest military aerodrome. Military planes already are using it. When it is completed, America then will possess the three largest Pacific defence units; the greatest concentration of army units; the greatest navy base; the greatest warplane field. Developments at Pearl Harbour are making way for a 10,000,000 dollar floating dock which will supplement the great repair facilities already working full blast in overhauls for the U.S. Pacific battle fleet.

Strategists are agreed that an arm> walks on its stomach; so, to facilitate the unloading of supplies for the army and navy forces, the Government is going to erect a new 1,000,000 dollar army pier and warehouse near Honolulu so that the services will be independent of the pri vately owned freighters, which now bring most of the supplies to the islands.

No Statehood For Hawaii

IyiORE directly concerning the 400,000 residents of the Hawaiian Islands, however, is the fact that another Wash ington Congressional committee at pre sent is investigating Hawaii’s application to become the 49th State of the U.S.

Union. At present, Hawaii is a U.S. Ter ritory, which means that Washington ap points the governor and has other con trols over Hawaii that Washington has not over each State.

Hawaii’s population to-day is an un known quantity. That is to say, 150,000 of the 400,000 are Japanese; only 70,000 are white (half these belong to the army and navy services); and the balance is composed of Chinese, Filipino and other Orient-blooded races. Will these people be loyal to Uncle Sam in the event of a crisis?

From an economic point of view, Hawaii produces sugar and pineapples, but the great wealth from these is di verted into a few hands, which, indeed, control a monopoly of every vital busi ness and public utility in the islands.

Actually, Hawaii’s economic life is i Jt vital to the great American mainland’s destiny. For example, Hawaii’s sugar crop is only three per cent of the total world’s output. This comparatively small crop could be grown on the U.S. main land, where both cane and beet sugar is grown extensively.

The business interests of Hawaii want Hawaii to be the 49th State because, then, Washington control of the political and social aspects of the islands would be lessened, and thus more power would come to the hands of the sugar barons.

Washington, however, regards the is lands purely and simply as the keystone of the U.S. defence scheme in the Pacific.

Some 126,000,000 Americans are paying for Hawaii’s defence upkeep. Since 1900, when Hawaii became a U.S. Territory, Uncle Sam has spent more than 800,000,- 000 dollars in Federal projects alone in Hawaii, and annually he pays out some 32,000,000 in Federal pay for the army, navy and other services. Moreover, great amounts, as for Hickam Field (18,000,000 dollars), are being paid into Hawaii all the time.

Hawaii, from a defence view, is worth one million fully trained soldiers! Uncle Sam cannot prejudice this enormous de fensive power. Hawaii is America’s c’enched straight left at the Orient, an eternal and vigilant guard against ag gression.

Actually. Hawaii represents the bal; ance of power in the great Pacific, and this means that Australasia must be

vitally concerned with whatever trans pires about Hawaii.

Already, previous Washington investi gations have turned down Statehood for Hawaii. This present committee undoub tedly will do the same. At least, this is what the various members of it say off the record to newspaper reporters.

It is obvious, of course, that the U.S. army and navy are the stumbling block to Statehood. These experts are concerned with the future welfare of the American race, of the widespread American de fence scheme in the Pacific which pivots directly control Hawaii.

Mr. Frederick Quintal, of Norfolk Is land, married Miss Doris Lee at St.

Barnabas’ Chapel, N. 1., on October 7.