| Show HAWAII IS NAVAL KEY TO PACIFIC Importance of Islands as us Fueling Base in Deweys Dewey's Time Thue Exists Today Pearl harbor I Vital to td Defense of Our West Coast p P pJ I J f I l fir v ti 1 F I r- r pJ h I rI II s sas PM 0 R RJ T I H. H I I e 7 I AUS' AUS AUSy y t ai M A 4 ua II 7 PO o eA Ie r r S u uY t P 1 t 0 0 u. u fiL 0 Lr 1 r rIi Ii jq Y h j Im A rf i RI PANAMA VI Co ii r PC Aa c l 31 1 1 MOA C r SOT HI HIp p I N D I I N H U taw t e N II 4 n Y IT xIra lIn t hN N- N AM A M I C CO o C E A N A STR IA A o. o A s z F T HAWAIIAN STATISTICS I THE PACIFIC OCEA Im v AMA 14 MIt O rf of the relation i.-A i. nc I U A I N L w Showing rr am s. s e jJ NAVAL HAVAL STATIONS I F CA 1 to xo ND 7 les g AND IJ roars TS to tvr to th the J P a AurAN it IS r i f HAW HAWAIIAN IIAN i INLANDS LANDS J- J OJ Theodore Roosevelt used a map similar to 10 the Ibe one above to 10 convince members of congress of the United Untied Slates Elates a n need d for the Hawaiian islands as al w a naval Daval base Emphasizing the situation of or Admiral Dewey Dewcy at that I time he declared that Ihal the nation thai that controlled the Islands would have hae the naval supremacy of the Pacific By WRIGHT A A. PATTERSON INTERNATIONAL agreement Japan is prohibited BY from fortifying any of the islands mandated to her herby herby I by the League of Nations though she is rapidly absorbing absorbing absorbing ab ab- much of northern China on the tho Asiatic mainland The United States has established a n naval base in the Hawaiian islands and made it practically impregnable The United States is now planning another fortified naval base in the Aleutian group croup in the north Pacific The United States Slate has hIlS established commercial air bases on Midway Midway MIdway Mid MId- way Wake and Guam Islands and hue has established sovereignty over several small islands In n the south Pacific which with the naval sta sla- station tion at Pago Pago in the Samoan group will form commercial aIrbases air airbases airbases bases between Honolulu and New Zealand The American congress has agreed to surrender sovereignty over the Philippine Islands and establish the Philippines as a. an independent nation but retaining an on American naval base bue in the islands Naval Race Is la On Two years ago Japan repudiated the Washington naval treaty which limited her naval strength to three three- fifths fifth of ol the naval strength of the United States and Great Britain and since that repudiation has hal been pressing naval construction with the avowed purpose of ot creating a navy equal to that of either cither the United States or Great Britain Th The Washington s ex expired ex pared on December 31 1936 1030 and now new W both the United States Slates and England are building warships without without without with with- out restraint and ond with the purpose of maintaining the 5 5 3 3 ratio between between be tween their navies and that of Japan Very Vert briefly the above represents the international conditions i In the Pacific at this time Now Japan is seeking a treaty with the United States that would stop the building build build- ing of island naval stations or the fortifying of Island bases base In the Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- elSie and to such a treaty America is saying no Sentinel of Coastlines Coastline The Hawaiian Islands Island constitute the hub of the Pacific ocean wheel around which all the conflicting in interests Interests in In- terest of the Pacific revolve The Hawaiian islands represent the tho basis basi of all defense plans for our western coast So b o long as America holds Pearl Harbor at Honolulu there Is practically no danger daner of any anI attack on the shores of ol our western coast states state The big biff guns gun guns In the fortifications at afford allord more protection to San Francisco than do the guns at ot Presidio the American army station sta station sta- sta tion overlooking the entrance to the Golden Gate Honolulu lu has ha been referred to as the tho Gibraltar of the Pacific It is I. I not that but it is 11 the Malta of the Pacific It Is a protected base any ony enemy dare data not leave behind I when attacking the American mainland main main- I land or the Panama canal The Hawaiian people first lint asked that the islands be a annexed flexed by the United States in February of 1893 following the tore forced cd abdication of Queen on January 17 o that year President Harrison vas a favorable and sent a treaty of annexation to the senate for tor rati nU rati- rati Before the senate had taken taken taken tak tak- en action President McKinley was Inaugurated and end he bo promptly withdrew withdrew with with- drew the treaty It was wu not until President McKinley was wu in the White Whitt House that a new treaty was Will prepared but as it could not command commend the ne needed ded two thirds vote for ratification catlon in the lena senate Ie the administration followed the precedent set at the time of ol the annexation of Texas and Introduced Intro infra the treaty as a o Joint resolution tion lion which needed only a majority vote vale In both houses house of 01 congress How Hawaii Was tics Annexed A majority vote In the house houte was not easily secured The aker alter Thomas B. B B Reed Deed was waa opposed and ute ute-d all his hll powerful influence to prevent its It com coming In to a vote In April of 1893 1698 the United States Stales declared war wor on Spain Admiral Dewey with an American fleet was In far tar eastern waters with all aU ports immediately closed to American American Amer Amer- ican warships Coal for tor the ships and provisions for tor the crews crew were more than seven thousand miles mUes away on the west coast of AmerIca AmerIca America Amer Amer- ica provided Dewey did not defeat defeat de de- feat the Spanish fleet and capture Manila ManUa The department of the navy informed in formed Admiral Dewey that war with Spain had been declared and ordered him to take Manila How he accomplished it is one of the most familiar stories of history Theodore Roosevelt then assistant assistant assistant assist assist- ant secretary of the navy realized I under such circumstances what the control of the Hawaiian islands would mean to the United States With all the vigor of which he was capable he back backed d the efforts of ol Lorin A A. Thurston the Hawaiian representative at W Wash a sh i 1 n g t ton o n Oll the part of Speaker Speaker- r 5 Reed and the joint resolution received received re re- calved a majority vote in bot both h houses house and became effective Jul July Y 12 1898 Thurston had been determined t twin to o win over Speaker Reed He solicited colic lied the aid of Mr Roosevelt Roosevel t drawing up a rough map showing g the distances an American fleet flee gt t would have to travel from port t to o r r t I r I s si i y l v h w In the shadow of Dla IUa i s i II Head happy bathers frolic on the beach at Waikiki Concealed ii d extinct crater In Diamond Head are a number of or the big hi guns Una jat at at defend Honolulu Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu port In the tho Pacific He lie made it clear that while our fleet could carry carry car car- carry ry enough fuel to cross the Allan Atlan Atlantic tic to Europe and return no fleetin fleet fleetin in the world could carry enough to tomake tomake tomake make a round trip across the Pa Pa- rifle Operating from a base in Hawaii however our fleet could cross to the Asiatic coast and re re- turn Roosevelt caused a huge wan wall map to be created along these lines and showed it to Reed repeatIng repeat repeat- Ing inC what Thurston had told him Re Reel was sufficiently won over to permit the annexation joint resolution lion tion to come to a vote It received a majority In both houses and became became became be be- came effective July 12 1898 1893 Harbor Cost 20 0 Millions 1 It was as in 1881 1883 that the United States State first obtained the concession of Pearl Harbor as a coating coaling sta Lion tion The harbor just outside the city of Honolulu on the Island of I Oahu was wal ideally situated for that purpose It was completely landlocked land land- locked and Its narrow entrance was guarded by sharp coral reefs At the time of annexation fourteen years rears later the magnificent haven was still blocked Mucked however b by a great sand bar In 1907 President Roosevelt recommended the improvement im inn provement of Pearl Harbor for a naval base Since that time the United States has spent more than on improvements and fortifications Today the entrance is open and easily navigable by the greatest of Americas America's fighting Sighting ships In the harbor all the ships of the American Ameri Amen can navy of today today- toda or of the tho future could anchor at one time during the celebrated Pacific maneuvers of May 1935 a total of ot United States war vessels including 12 of the giant capital ships was moored or anchored at one time Around the tho harbors harbor's shores are stored vast quantities of ot fuel oil and warehouses have been erected that contain great quantities of munitions In Pearl Harbor is an enormous dry dock with facilities for lor repairing vessels of all types All of this constitutes Americas America's number one naval maintenance plant Fort Kamehameha not far off is an important auxiliary forland for tor forland torland land defense Pearl Harbors Harbor's protection consists I of a number of batteries of great guns located so as to prevent a landing landing land land- ing jog on any part of the shore line lineol of ol the island island guns guns of such caliber and capacity as III to make the near approach of any ny fleet to the island practically impossible Boasts Beasts Largest Arm Army Post As A. an air all base its great fleet of sea planes can command the waters waters wat wat- ers ens from the Aleutian Islands on the north to Pago Pago in the in the south These defenses are manned today by of Americas America's fighting Sighting force Twenty thousand of these are of ot the army and of 01 the navy The army post past some lome 20 miles out of Honolulu recently completed completed com Is the largest of ot Americas America's army posts At Schofield barracks and its subsidiary forts men may be quartered The American navy can operate from Hawaii If H operating against en on enemy in the Far East its base is nearly 2500 miles nearer its It objective than would be the case if it operating from the American mainland If U it is defending Amer ican lean shores or the Panama canal no enemy would dare advance before be be- fore capturing and destroying the American fleet at a thing it H would be practically impossible to do That is a part of what the little island territory lying far out In the Pacific ocean represents to Amer Amer- ica lea In a recent address General Smedley Butler proposed that the United States State withdraw from Hawaii Ha lIa wall wail and leave the islands Island I to whatever whatever what ever nation might want them o or r could first take them Such a statement state tate ment rent would not have been lar at any place on the west coast toast nor would it have been mode made b bany by y any one who had a really Intelligent t I Interest In the safety safely of at America C CI Western Newspaper Union |
