VALUABLE INFORMATION FROM BYRD EXPEDITION

Chronicle (Levin), 10 February 1947, Page 5

VALUABLE INFORMATION FROM BYRD EXPEDITION

Received Alonday, 0.6 a.m. XEv.V VORK, Feb. 9. "If "the defence of Aiy,ei-xea hinges 011 the poles, as it ,may well do in the future, a unit of informed and.experienced air and sea pdver presenis a formidabie defence cpjnbiiiation. The lonndation for such & defence at eithet poie has been iaid ,here. ' ' Tliis statement was made by Rear Admiral Riciiard Cruzen, tasic force commander of the Byrd expedition in - the Antarctic, when discussing, in an interview, the lessons of the expedition from the point of view of America's defence. The expedition built base faciiities on au iceledge capable of housing near l\- 500 meu before it began the operations of the fleet of aircraft. It was not hard, tlierefore, to envision what could be accomplished by an experienced and fuliy equipped and snppiied torce many times the size of the present expedition. The expedition had proved that waterborne supplies in tlie polar regions and under most stringent polar conditions, were extreniely practicable and also that steel skips could operate as efi'ective forces in both polai zones. He emphasised that an intelligein Ainerican defence of either poie would be impossible nnless United States was vvilling to support many expeditionj similar to the present Antarctic snrvey. ' ' Amazing machine developments oi the war years 'now place both poles within our grasp and under rnan 's nominal eontfol, " Admiral Cruzens added "It* would be unfoMnnate if. we were, to relinquish our- hold over and poten tial conquest of them." .