Major Defence Line From Alaska to Samoa Will Be Thoroughly Tested: Special Air Work Washington, Jan. 23
HE United States annual fleet manoeuvres beginning March 14 will test a defence line that stretches 4,322 miles down the middle of the Pacific Ocean from the rim of the Arctic to subequatorial waters, according to official disclosure.
It is the nation's "major defence line," according to officials, comprising the outermost defensive "front" in the event of a major Pacific war.
In the north the line is based on Alaska and the string of Aleutian Islands which reach arm-like from the North American mainland toward Asia.
In the centre the line is based on the Hawaiian Islands where the Pearl Harbour defences are so strong as to be known as "The Gibraltar of the Pacific The southern extremity of the line is the naval station in American Samoa, 15 degrees below the equator.
Here the main harbour is Page-Page.
Never before has the United, States fleet planned such extensive mande ures. Naval officials disclaimed any connection with the conflict between Japan and China. They seid the plans were drafted previously, but unofficial experts were confident that developments in the Far East "war" would cause certain alterations in the basic plans of the exercises, One hundred and seventy-five warships, about 500 planes and between 50,000 and 60,000 men will take part in the games. They are to start on the California coast of the United States and spread fanlike over the vast triangle represented by Dutch Harbour in the Aleutians on the extreme right and Page-Page on the extreme left.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.