Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 10, Number 47, DeMotte, Jasper County, 10 October 1940 — The Washington MERRY-GO-ROUND [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Washington MERRY-GO-ROUND

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Washington, D. C. JAPAN GETS AVIATION FUEL The new iron and steel scrap embargo finally shut off one of Japan’s key military supplies. But through a loophole as big as a barn door, Japan had been able, despite this supposedly stringent embargo, to obtain all the U. S. gas it needs for the bombers that are raining death and destruction on helpless Chinese cities and villages. This loophole is the little-noticed provision that limits the embargo only to a certain super-grade of gas—B7 octane and over.

This type of fuel is essential for modern aerial warfare. Without it planes are not able to attain the great speeds necessary in dog fights and raids such as take place night and day over Britain. But not up against that kind of battling. Its bombers and fighter planes face no aerial opposition. They have the skies to themselves. They don’t need super-gas. They ’ban do just as well on lower octane fuel. Their job is no different than an' ordinary transport plane's. They haul out a load of bombs, dump it and fly back. The story is told in the following unpublished government figures. In the month after the imposition of the so-called embargo, Japan imported from the United States 187,026 barrels of lower grade gasoline, or more than 20 per cent of all sucti exports during that period. >* * * SPY CENTER - The large Japanese fishing colony on Terminal island in Los Angeles harbor is soon due for a clean-up by Uncle Sam. This colony has long been under suspicion as a nerve center of foreign espionage on the West coast. More than one of the “fishing” vessels is and intelligence officials have evidence that some of the colony’s sea-going denizens double in brass as spies. No action has been taken up to now chiefly because of state department qualms about kicking up an international ruckus. The suspects were kept under scrutiny but nothing was done to get rid of them. But with Japan taking the bit in its teeth in Indo-China and showing signs of further . adventures, the state department has withdrawn its red light. Under a plan worked out with California and Los Angeles officials, the fishing village will be dispersed.

U. S. FLYING FORTRESSES “Flying Fortresses” of the U. S. army and powerful twin-engined PBY patrol bombers of the U. S. navy—for Britain— The negotiations have been going on for several weeks simultaneously with conversations regarding the securing of air and naval bases on strategic British islands in the Pacific. The British are urgently in need of long-range, great weight-carrying planes of the “Flying Fortress” and PBY type. Lack of ships of this kind is a vital weakness in British air power. They have no planes capable of operating east of Berlin, which makes it impossible to strike at some of the Nazis’ key war production centers located in what were formerly Austria and Czechoslovakia. A fleet of 25 “Flying Fortresses,” which have a cruising radius of over 5,000 miles, would bring the war home to the Germans where it would hurt most. Also, the British could strike smashing blow r s at Italian industries—and Italy is the Achilles heel of the Axis. The naval PBYs are needed in the crucial Mediterranean struggle. With- a range of 4,000 miles, these mighty flying boats could destroy Italian submarines, transports and supply ships. Italy has to transport everything she needs in her African offensive across the Mediterranean, and the PBYs could cripple this jugular vein. These planes also are needed to meet assault on Gibraltar, key to British control of the Mediterranean. They also would put Britain in a much stronger position to meet Spanish intervention. The army has a total of 59 “Flying Fortresses” plus a number of others in production, which are coming from the factory at the rate of about seven a month. The British would like to make an arrangement to obtain every other new ship. Army officials say this would not delay U. S. rearming, but w'ould enable the manufacturer to expand his facilities and achieve a greater output. The navy is amply supplied with PBYs. It already has 196 in service and 200 more being produced at the rate of one every 36 hours. The new ships are considerably faster and more powerful than most of the 196 in service. Navy heads declare that 50 of these planes could be spared without any impairment to navy air power: The British plan to fly the giant planes direct across the Atlantic, and crews of English and American airmen are being assembled in Canada f~>r this purpose.