People Fear Third World War

Grey River Argus, 17 December 1948, Page 5

People Fear Third World War

(By Charles C'root, Reuter’s Correspondent). COPENHAGEN, (By Airmail). Most people in the world fear the outbreak of a third world war within the next two or three years according to Mr P. Westphall, Danish journalist and author, who lias just returned here after a 25,000-mile flight around the world. Mr Westphall, who made the trip for his newspaper, the conservative “Berlingske Tidende’. told me that nowhere, in the five countries he visited, in the six weeks’ flight, was there any real peace. “Everywhere, there was either actual fighting or preparations for a new war,” he said. In China, plunged in civil war in which millions of troops are engaged, and where countless youngsters have never known anything but fighting, Mr Westphall was told that the third world war had already begun. Former United States Major General Claire Chennault, known as the “Flying Tiger” of the United States Air'Force, told him.—“ln my opinion, the third world war has, clearly, already begun. The war in China will, sooner or later, spread beyond that, country’s borders.” No one to whom he talked on his trip doubted that a ' new war would break out between East and West. Americans believed that the battlefields of this new warhad already been planned. Mr Westphall continued.—“lt is in Alaska that America is preparing to meet all possibilities. People here believe that if a new war should break out, this country will become America’s front line. Millions upon millions of dollars have been invested in the big military plants in Alaska.” At Anchorage, Alaskan “boom city because of the vast military preparation now being made there, he sawsomething of the extent of these plans. “Alaska is no longer the country of adventurous prospectors, thp peaceful world of legendary hunters.” he said. “To-day, it is the general’s country. They drive in high-powered cars, along modern roads, going about their business of watching, waiting, preparing. Every week, new troops arrive here to be trained. The Alaskan Command is said to consist of two divisions, together with unstated numbers of fighter squadrons. The six airports built during the war to receive Soviet aircraft have now grown to 27. In one airport alone, a staff of 4000 mechanics is employed to keep planes running to perfection. Troops are being trained to endure all’ the hardships of the worst tnat an Alaskan winter can produce. They Hudv the methods of the Eskimos and from them learn how to build igloos and how to control a team of sleigh dogs. In Alaska, there is, indeed, “a cold war on.” p , Mr Westphall went from Anchor, age to Shemya, in the Aleutian Islands and saw still more American nreparations against whatever may happen. He described Shemya as . the Pacific’s permanent aircraft carrier. We sooke of preparedness and. suspicions everywhere he went m the 3d “Even in peaceful-looking BanS where I had hoped Jo find something Smbling peace”. In Bangkok £e found that an anti -sabotage corps hid been formed to guard vital, points. Mr Westphall has the clear impresScn from his travels that any new Sl 2r would be fought across the North' 'hvpn when ne returned to his F°!e. Everi e W estphall found 101 olrntfons being made. Shortly l afte P r his return the Danish Government decided to spend a total of K? 100 000W0 (5,000.000) on the purchase of jet. fighters from Britain and on other military projects.