Pinoy Problems: America’s colony caught between Japan’s pincers
The Dutch weren’t the only ones whose overseas possessions were located awkwardly in the middle of a warzone. America had much the same problem, though with the benefit, or drawback, of being the second greatest naval power in the world.
For America the Philippines was Key to America’s command of the Pacific. Or rather that’s what the army believed. To the army’s never ending disgust, the Navy had no intention of conducting a forward defence of Philippines, despite Manila being a Singapore-tier facility. Worse, as 1939 dawned the navy began discussing shelving its “through line to Manila”, intended to relieve the Philippines garrison, in favour of a more cautious approach to war with Japan. This change in conversation was brought about by the deteriorating situation in Europe. A two front war was perceived as likely.
As the US Army began to consider its own plans for a potential European war, the Philippines garrison found itself without a voice with which to influence the government. So it turned to its recently retired field marshal, America’s #1 boy scout,[1] Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur, then still a civilian advisor to Filipino President Quezon, had brushed elbows with many of the US’ political class, and was also a fairly popular figure. He would make an ideal public face for a lobbying effort to shore up the Philippines.
MacArthur at an interventionist rally, warning of the dire consequences should America shrink back to allow Japanese ascendancy.
The families of those serving in the Philippines, Filipino Americans, and those businesses with interests in the Philippines were not the only forces that lined up behind MacArthur. The influential China Lobby saw reinforcing the Philippines as a means to apply pressure to Japan. Another ally came in the form of political activist, nationally known lawyer turned executive, and part time interventionist, Wendell Willkie.
The Campaign for the Security of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was off to a rocky start. Non-interventionists like Charles Lindburg and Thomas Dewey had more clout. Additionally, Britain’s naval victory off Borneo had seemingly eliminated the threat of the IJN.
The campaigner’s one windfall came from the highest office. President Roosevelt was more than willing to commit to a small increase in troop numbers on the islands.[2] More importantly, though an executive order on the 1st of February 1939, he arranged for the US Pacific Fleet to be rebased in Hawaii, something that had been scheduled to happen anyways the next year, and ordered the preparation of a fortification scheme for the Pacific islands.
The Prodigal Son: Chile lends rents a hand to Britain
On the southern most extreme of the Americas lay a nation that had a special relationship with Britain.
The hero who helped it win its independence? British.
Its creditors? British.
Its navy? British built.
The previous year had seen a German funded coup attempt, and the present year saw friction between the nation’s military and Chile’s new left-leaning president, Pedro Aguirre Cerda. Worse, On the 25th of January an earthquake ravaged central Chile, inflicting tens of thousands of casualties and leaving the nation’s third largest city without power or running water.
It is under these circumstances that the British made an offer to acquire
Almirante Latorre in exchange for additional monetary aid.
Almirante Latorre had served under the Union Jack during the Great War as HMS
Canada and since being received by Chile its one notable action had been to host a mutiny in 1931. It underwent a refit in 1937, but the improvements had been meager.[3]
Cerda was by no means eager to rent out his nation’s flagship. At the same time, he had a great need for a quick buck, and no inclination to be particularly charitable to the military. Further, he had Halifax’s word that the ship would contribute to the containment of Germany.
With the Chileans on board with the scheme, it just had to be ratified by parliament. And that meant disclosing it to parliament. And that meant letting Churchill know that the Foriegn Ministry had arranged to procure a superdreadnought on its own initiative.[4]
The argument Halifax presented, was that the departure of so much of the RN for the Far East had left him with no stick to carry in negotiations in Europe. HMS Canada was a British ship, with an armament (14”) that was heavier than that of the Italian (12”) and German (11”) battleships. Theoretically,
Canada’s reacquisition would handily resolve the naval balance in Europe.
Churchill was miffed at the slight. Somewhere at the back of his head there was probably a voice telling him that logistics or crew constraints would make the matter of fielding
Canada more complicated than laid out. But a much louder voice was yammering on and on about various schemes that could be enabled by having a battleship in the eastern Pacific.
Canada would return to the Royal Navy, but not to Britain or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. No,
Canada was to visit its namesake.
HMS Canada near Esquimalt, British Columbia.
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[1] Alternatively, Eisenhower would have one believe him to be America’s #1 hellbound playboy
[2] Actually FDR wanted a surge of troops to the area like the Dutch were doing, but he understood that America had no stomach for such at this time
[3] Most notably this refit added anti-aircraft cannons to the ship. Two of them. For a capital ship
[4] It was a fairly open secret that this was in part tit-for-tat retaliation for Churchill’s unilateral and undisclosed decision to disregard the Netherland’s neutrality.
Q: You actually posted on a Saturday?
A: Yes.
Q: So are we back to regularly scheduled programming?
A: That is my intention, though updates may well be shorter (like this one) now that I’m working full time again.
MacArthur entering politics? Churchill planning something brash and ill-advised? Tune in next week for the long anticipated China update!
