Kiska Shows Japs. Will Run, Says U.S. Admiral

Northern Advocate, 24 August 1943, Page 3

Kiska Shows Japs. Will Run, Says U.S. Admiral

NEW YORK, August 23.' The fall of Kiska has established) Allied ' superiority in every way. and; the Japanese are now on the run. This] view was expressed by the Chief oi the American Western Defence Com-' mand (Lieut.-General John De Witt) whose jurisdiction covers Kiska. Explaining that reoccupation of; Kiska has cleared our shortest highway to Japan, Lieut.-General De Witt: said; “We today are where the Japanese were when they struck at Pearl Harbour and swept down the SouthWest Pacific. Then we had to split our forces and the Japanese taunted us: ‘Where is the United States Fleet?' But we were finally able to make a: stand at Midway, New Guinea and; Guadalcanal’. Now we ask, ‘Where is! the Japanese Fleet?’ The answer is] that the Japanese Navy is hiding and! dispersed part on the ocean floor; part in the South Pacific to counter) Admiral Halsey’s forces, part in home waters to meet threats from Admiral j Nimitz, and part in the North-g Pacific to counter Vice-Admiral Kinkaid’s potential threats. It will be a long war,) but Kiska has proved that the Jap-; anese know when they are licked—and we now know that they will run.) We do not know how evacuation was! effected. The Japanese may have es-j caped by submarine. The American! Navy sank several submarines attempting to run the blockade at night. It is] also possible that the Japanese used barges, but as the nearest enemy base is Faramushiro, 900 miles away, their chances of survival would he slight.” Navy Under Criticism Criticising the navy for allowing the [Japanese to get away from Kiska, Mr. Hanson Baldwin, in the “New York Times," says that circumstances surrounding the evacuation “ought to make somebody's face red.” He adds: “The situation is not helped by the navy’s naive statement that dense fog, bad weather and a great area of ocean constitutes partial explanation of the enemy’s successful escape. Our great superiority in surface ships and aeroplanes should have [yielded better results. There are indications that our aerial reconnaissance left much to be desired.” i Mr. Baldwin also criticises the navy for ] withholding the news of the Kiska evacuation for three weeks. “It is obvious that [censorship is keeping from the American j people many facts they are entitled to :kno\v and covering up mistakes , and ] inefficiency.” A 8.0. W. cable says United Slates and j Canadian troops have added another Aleujtiori island to those already under Allied control. It. is an island 20 miles east of ; Kiska. The landing party found no Japanese on the island. I