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Show BILL FOR GUAM MEETSTHREAT House Group Hints at Closing Purse WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UP) A new storm about Guam, tiny Pacific Pa-cific atoll, only 1500 miles from Japan, blew up In congress todsy when Chairman Carl Vinson of the house naval affairs committee Insisted that any naval Improvements Improve-ments st the island must be authorized au-thorized hy his committee before appropriations are provided for them. Vinson announced that he was prepared to make a point of order against a $4.0(10.000 fund for Guam Improvements which the navy has asked in the 1941 budget unless the navy first obtains specific authorization authori-zation to spend the money. He said he would take that action ac-tion bersuse of last years congressional con-gressional dispute over Guam. During Dur-ing the regular 1939 session congress con-gress struck Guam from a list of bases for which the navy sought authorization. ' Stark Views Boost After Vinson made his announce-menl. announce-menl. Admiral Harold R. Stark, chief of naval operations, told the committee ,that a 25 per cent Increase In-crease In the U. S. navy would not Insure American safety In event of s combined sttack by Japan, Russia, Germany and Italy. He said the pending request for authorization of a . $1,300,000,000 expansion "might have to be re-estimated" re-estimated" In two or three years. In event of the combined attack, Stark said we "might be In a tight corner. We would be driven back and It would be a critical situation. But I think we'd take care of our Interests In the Caribbean and our own coasts and, within certain limitations. In the Pacific." Scans Future Stark said he felt that under the Monroe doctrine the United States would fight to prevent establishment establish-ment of new foreign bases In the western hemisphere, but thst with the present navy "we could not go down to southern Brazil and at the same time take care of the Pacific." Pa-cific." "We might have to sacrifice southern .Brazil," he said. In view of the fact that the naval base authorization was considered by his committee last year, Vinson said he did not believe the house appropriations committee should vote any funds for Guam until the subject had again been considered by the naval affairs committee. "This committee Is Jealous of Its prerogatives," Vinson said. |