"WHO House of Representatives Washington, Feb, 8. Naval Affairs Committee today 1 broke the controversial secrecy surrounding Army and Navy testimony on the Administration's huge rearmament programme by revealing the testimony of Rear Admiral Arthur Cook, Chief of the Bureau of Acronautics, dealing with the necessity for additional naval air bases.
Admiral Cook testified that naval air operations would be greatly strengthen by the development of a suitable base on Guam Island. 1,200 mailes south of Yokohama, and urged new naval air bases in the Caribbean.
He said the most important function of the United States Navy if involved in a European war or an attack on the Western Hemisphere from the east would be patrolling the Caribbean which he said was "vulnerable to the infiltration of enemy submarines."
He said the Navy would patrol the entrance to the Caribbean from a contemplated triangle of bases locat-fed at Miami, Puerto Rice and the Panama Canal Zone.
'Admiral Cook testified that the Navy air force at present is not able' to patrol the Pacific far west fof Honolulu because of the absence fof refuelling bases. He said opera ions were limited to 1,000 miles west Pointing out hat the United States nuintains no regular air force in the Philippines, Admiral Cook said that a strong Navy air bose on Guam Would permit" the Navy to patrol the Philippine area.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.