Solomons

War Damage In Solomons Were Americans Asked To Fay Compensation?

A RESIDENT of New York, writing re cently to a Solomon Islands land owner, made this statement: — “Your claim for war damages, justifi able on your part, probably will eventu ally be paid off by me and other tax payers in the United States. The British claim, made in the past few years, is that United States troops invaded the Islands, and thus our Government must pay for the damage caused by either our shells or Jap shells. I believe Lever Brothers (soap manufacturers) have re ceived a settlement from us already.”

It would be interesting to know whether this astonishing opinion is generally held in the United States.

So far as we know, the Americans who drove the Japs out of the South Seas have never been regarded as invaders; Britain has never made any such claim upon the United States; and no war damage compensation payment has been made to Levers by the US Government.

It is possible that the United States commanders paid Levers for equipment or stores taken over from Levers BSI plan tations, and this may have led to general

misapprehension.

The Japs were the aggressors and the invaders, and it would be simply fan tastic if the United States had to pay compensation for damages to property caused in driving the enemy away.