Retrospect

Agreement prevailed that the successful landing of marines on the North coast of Oahu, Hawaii (TIME, May 4), signified a victory for the attacking Blue fleet over the defending Black garrison.

There was, as always, one freak report. This would have it that the landing was permitted by the defense as part of its strategy and that, immediately after the landing, the Black aircraft annihilated the attacking fleet. But after one startling headline in such eminent papers as the Boston Transcript and The New York World, this freak was withdrawn from public view, without apology.

Thereafter, daily, for five days, 800 Army and Navy officers attended the "critique," listened to the senior warriors' expositions of every move of the twelve-hour battle.

The general conclusions were as expected :

1) The present garrison and ordinance of Hawaii is alone insufficient to repel a mighty naval invasion ; but

2) No such invasion is likely to be attempted until the U. S. fleet is put out of action.by the enemy; and

3) Aircraft are useful exactly how useful no one knows.

Meanwhile, officers and men were right royally entertained by the Governor and populace of the Islands. "Gratification was derived from the good behavior of the shoring sailors."

The Japanese naval tanker Hyatoma has these several years carried oil from California to Yokohama. She trailed the U. S. fleet from San Pedro to San Francisco. She put out from San Francisco on the day the fleet sailed, was several times sighted on the flank of the battleship division commanded by Admiral Pratt, entered Honolulu as the battle began, docked at Pier 7 near Admiral Coontz's umpire flagship. On several occasions, her officers paid their respects to the U. S. commanders. She went cheerfully on to the sunrise.

In Japan, a bomb was set. Two newspapers of good standing--the Chugai Shogyo (controlled by Mitsui interests) and the Tokyo Kohumin--commented. Said the first: "[Increased] fortification of Hawaii may justly be taken as an indication of the Americans' ill will toward Japan." Said the second: "Our nationals now realize that the disarmament conference at Washington was a secret plot between the two groups of the Anglo-Saxons to weaken the fighting strength of the Japanese Navy. Hawaii would afford a splendid base for American naval operations, as Singapore would for the English."

There was, however, no detonation in Japan.