Washington, June 17.
Official sources today declined to comment on the report of the Tokyo "Nichi Nichi" that the United States was secretly negotiating with Britain and France for joint control of Indo-China, but well-informed quarters sharply discounted the rumen They pointed out that it was legally impossible for the United States o make secret commitments for defence measures beyond the limits of United States territory unless Congress authorized such' action, The policy of the United States, they further emphasized, as determined by successive votes in Congress in recent years, has been persistently opposed to new commitments in the ast. American policy, it was said, is disposed toward the liquidation of existing commitments in the Far East, such as continued control over the Philippines, The Administration had no power to commit itself to defend a new Great damage was inflicted oni Italian airfields and defence positions in Abyssinia and other Italian possessions in Africa in the course of widespread British air raids yesterday, according to an announcement by the Royal Air Force headquarters here.
In an attack on Diredava, in northeastern Abyssinia, by bombing aircraft of the R.A.F., extensive damage is said to have been done to the aerodrome and buildings nearby.
One large hangar was seen burning fiercely, and two other fires were started, one being close to a railway Junction, In another raid on Maccaca, direct hits are claimed to have been registered, During a reconnai the Kenya-Somaliland British machine is nce flight over rantier, one id to have bombed and machine-gunned the Italian frontier post at Elwak,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.