Islands Near America

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 98, 29 April 1935, Page 7

Islands Near America

Seizure Urged in Event of Emergency POSSIBILITY OF USE AS HOSTILE AIR BASES. United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Monday, 12.15 a.m. WASHINGTON, April' 27. General F. M. Andrews, chief of the powerful new headquarters of the Air Force, was revealed on Saturday night to have told a House Committee that, in an 1 emergency, the United States must be prepared to seize British and French islands near America.

General Andrews appeared at a secret session of the House Military Committee and supported the Wilcox Airbase Bill, authorising half a dozen strategic army aviation centres.

General Andrews declared: “Even with Canada neutral', an enemy has the following bases available: —Newfoundland, Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad, British Honduras and the Lesser Antilas. To insure against air attacks being launched from any of these in time of emergency, they must bo kept under surveillance to discover any evidence of preparation of such bases. We must be ready to bomb such installations as soon as they are discovered. If the situation is sufficiently vital to require it, we must, be prepared to seize these outlying bases.” General Andrews did not explain what he considered an emergency. Major Hugh J. Knerr, also of general headquarters of the Air Force, said: ‘‘l have been informed that a certain Asiatic Power has now about 100 instructors training the Peruvian Army. It is interesting to visualise how many of these are aviators, and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that some fine morning we may read of the fact that there has been a successful raid against the Panama Canal as the initial' step prior to a declaration of war.”

Collective Action of the Nations ONLY CERTAIN WAY TO MAINTAIN PEACE Received Sunday, 7 p.m. WASHINGTON, April 27. Mr H. L. Stinison, addressing the American Society of International Law, deprecated the agitation to maintain peace for America through neutrality. He declared that the only certain way to achieve that object was to prevent war through the collective action of the nations.

“We should formally let the world know that, in case of anything arising which affects or threatens the peace of the world, we should be ready to consult with other nations as to steps for preserving peace, and should we concur with them as to the responsibility for any breach of the peace which they may hereafter seek to terminate by collective action, we will at least refrain from any steps by the Government for the protection of our neutral trade which would tend to defeat their efforts for restoring peace.”

Big’ Naval Bill Approved MORE SHIPS AND AEROPLANES FOR UNITED STATES Received Sunday, 7 p.m. WASHINGTON, April 27. Without recording a vote, the House approved the Administration’s 457,-000,000-doilar Naval Bill, providing for the construction of 24 ships and 555 aeroplanes and an increase in the Navy personnel' by 11,677 officers and men.

An amendment to withhold building pending naval treaty negotiations' w r as decisively defeated, as was another to reduce expenditures by 20 per cent.