Show OR W trA ON Washington D. D C. C INSIDE ON ALEUTIANS The inside story can now be told of why the Japs were able to land landin in the Aleutian islands and bomb the U. U S S. S naval base at Dutch Harbor with so little opposition As with most things in this war the problem goes back to lack of foresight and also to some extent lack lock of army- army navy co Not generally known is the ilie fact that the navy in September 1941 some two months before Pearl Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor refused to let the army build an air base on island to guard the navys navy's Dutch Harbor base What happened was that Senator Brewster of Maine a member of f the Truman committee and of the naval affairs committee flew to Alaska last September with Brig Gen Arthur Wilson to ascertain whether Alaska needed further fortifications for for- At Kodiak they met Brig Gen Simon Bolivar Buckner commander of the army's forces whose father a famous Civil war commander once helped to pay Ulysses S S. S Grants Grant's way home from West Vest Point and later surrendered to i Grant in Tennessee General Buckner wanted to go on I I from Kodiak to Dutch Harbor with Senator Brewster and although the I navy was willing wilting to supply an amphibian amphibian amphibian am am- plane to the senator they balked at having General Buckner go along referred to him as a ahi hi hitch Finally however the party in including including including in- in General Buckner went on onto onto onto to Dutch Harbor and located an excellent excellent excellent ex ex- ex- ex site for a flying field on Um Um- nak island Immediately upon their return Senator Brewster arranged for a senate appropriation to build an air base at while the war department prepared to pro pro- Navy Says No The war department also notified the navy of its move since the army is charged with protecting the shore establishments of the navy A few weeks later however word came back from the navy that it did not want the army to build an air base on island to protect Dutch Harbor When senators asked Vice Admiral Frederick J. J Horne Home why he replied The navy can protect Dutch Har Har- bor This was in late September Two months later after Pearl Harbor the navy frantically de demanded d an anair anair anair air base to protect Dutch Harbor but it had to be started during the snow and ice of an Alaskan winter Therefore the the date of completion was July 1942 Probably the Japs knew this date They have had fishing vessels cruising cruising cruising cruis cruis- ing through the Aleutians off and andon andon andon on for some time At any rate it was the first week in June one month before the air base was finished that the Japs struck And when they bombed Dutch Harbor the navys navy's flying patrol boats there were helpless Heavy and slow they lacked protection from the army's fast pursuit planes so speedy Jap Zero fighters made mincemeat of them Lack of a nearby army air base from which fighters and bombers could protect the rest of the Aleutians Aleutians Aleutians Aleu Aleu- undoubtedly contributed also alsoto to the ease with which the Japs took Kiska harbor and the western Aleu Aleu- PERSISTENT LEON The army doesn't seem to think that hitting hard-hitting Leon Henderson price-fixing price boss of the OP OPA A is lethargic about wanting to put price ceilings on tanks guns trucks and other army material for which it itis itis itis is now paying top prices In a knock down out drag-out session in the office of mild mannered Undersecretary Undersecretary Undersecretary Un Un- of War Var Patterson Henderson Henderson Henderson Hen Hen- derson banged on the table told Patterson the army was paying too much that he demanded the power to put price ceilings on army sup sup- plies Im going to keep after you on this till I get it Henderson stormed When I was younger and I was courting a girl I kept after her until I got her And that's what's going to happen now CAPITAL CHAFF q L Frank Grillo Grille president of ot the ilie United Rubber Workers is one man who doesn't believe that labor leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers at home are more necessary than fighters at the front He has resigned from the Rubber Workers and asked for his old job fob back in inthe inthe inthe the army not army not a cellophane commission commission commission commis commis- sion you can see through it but it protects from the draft He wants to be a sergeant C. C t The navy has wisely drafted some of J. J Edgar Hoovers Hoover's FBI sleuths to help train naval intelligence of of- They are doing a b bang up up ng-up job C. C t The Truman committee has persuaded persuaded persuaded per per- the army to lend it Brig Gen Frank Lowe a Maine Republican Republican Republican lican as its executive officer C. C l On her way from Hollywood to Washington to participate in the treasury's big bond show demure Ann Rutherford sold several hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred dollars worth of bonds at nt each station stop At Albuquerque one man handed her 1000 in cash |