9L AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE VOL. 20, NO. 9 JOURNAL SEPTEMBER, 1943 . Jt * - - L ' 's-:' t*Z American to the core, I. W. Harper whiskey has been winning gold medals at international expositions for many generations. Unexcelled taste and quality are the reasons . cost is never consulted in making this superb whiskey. It’s one of the best reasons why world sales of American whiskies top those of all whiskies made elsewhere. Bernheim Distilling Company, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky, U. S. A. THERE ARE NO FINER WHISKIES THAN AMERICAN WHISKIES This rallying cry is appearing in I.W. HARPER Schenley advertising throughout Latin America. THE GOLD MEDAL WHISKEY CONTENTS SEPTEMBER, J94.'5 AMERICAN EASTERN Cover Picture: Seagulls over the Alaskan coast. TRADING & SHIPPING C0.,S.A.E. The Alaska Highway 449 Alexandria and Suez (Egypt) By John Randolph Branches or Agents in: Martinique—photos 453 Alexandria Jaffa By George D. Lamont Cairo Jerusalem Port Said Haifa Suez Beirut Preparedness for Peace 454 Port Sudan Iskanderon By Donald D. Edgar Khartoum Damascus Djibouti Ankara New Caledonia 456 Addis Ababa Izmir By Captain Aleck Richards Jedda Istanbul Nicosia Codthaab. Greenland—photos 458 By John B. Ocheltree AMERICAN IRAQI SHIPPING CO., LTD. Allied Military Currency 459 (Only American-Owned Shipping Firm in Persian Gulf) Claims by the Foreign Service for War Losses —continued 560 Basrah and Baghdad (Iraq) Editor’s Column 462 Branches or Agents in: News from the Department 463 Baghdad Bandar Abbas By Jane Wilson Basrah Teheran Khorramshahr Bahrein Bandar Shahpour Ras Tannurah News from the Field 466 Abadan Koweit Bushire Mosul Promo lions 468 Service Glimpses 469 The Bookshelf 474 Francis C. de Wolf, Review Editor Letter to the Editors 476 Association and Journal Scholarships 478 In Memoriam 485 Births 485 The Spectrum 486 By Amanda Lee Visitors 498 New York Representatives AMERICAN EASTERN CORP. Issued monthly by the American Foreign Service Associa¬ Near East Division tion, Department of State, Washington, D. C. Entered as 30 Rockefeller Plaza Circle 6-0333 second-class matter at the Post Office in Washington, D. C., under the act of March 3, 1879 New York 20, N. Y. SEPTEMBER, 1943 445 No Passport Needed! ROYAL SCARLET FINE FOODS Recognized Everywhere For Fine Quality Since 1811 Don't you cgree that the reputation behind a food product offers a sound buying guide? R. C. Williams & Company (distributor of Royal Scarlet Foods) has a reputation for fine quality that goes back 131 years ... further than any other food wholesaler in New York. How was that reputation won? By making certain that every package carrying our label meets the highest standards of quality. Over a period of years, it has been our privilege to serve many Embassies, Consulates and Legations throughout the world. Our knowledge of the details incidental to this type of trade enables us to offer the most complete type of service . under all conditions. You are invited to investigate — no obligation whatsoever. Your inquiry or order will receive special attention when sent to: EXPORT DEPARTMENT R. C. WILLIAMS & CO., Inc. 25th STREET and 10th AVENUE NEW YORK CITY, N. Y. R. C. WILLIAMS & CO., INC. NEW YORK CITY, N. Y. NEW YORK CITY LIC. LL No. 1 We carry a complete line of wines and liquors including the finest available domestic and imported brands. Every care is taken to provide efficient service and to assure your complete satisfaction. For further information, please do not hesitate to communicate with our Export Department. 446 THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL INDEX FOR ADVERTISERS American Eastern Corp... 445 American Security and Trust Company 471 American Tobacco Co. 480 Association of Pacific Fisheries 499 Bacardi, Compania Ron, S.A _ 491 Calvert School 500 Chase National Bank 498 Curtiss-Wright Corporation 479 FEDERAL STORAGE Federal Storage Company _ 447 Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. .... 448 COMPANY Grace Line 486 Every Modern Facility for the Safe Handling Goodyear Tire & Rubber Export Co. 472-3 and Care of Household Treasures Glide’s 499 Private Rooms for Furniture International Telephone & Telegraph Co. 497 Cold Storage for Furs Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. _ 494 Rug Cleaning and Storage Vault for Silverware Mayflower Hotel 490 Home Inspection and Insurance Service National Geographic Magazine , 482 Fumigation Chambers National City Bank .. .... 496 Piano and Art Section Pan-American Airways, Inc. 477 Local and Long Distance Moving Packing and Shipping Radio Corporation of America 485 Lift Vans for Foreign Removals Schenley Products .... II & III COVERS (Bowling Green Steel Vang) Security Storage Company of Washington ... 471 1701 Florida Ave. ADams 5600 Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc. 487 WASHINGTON 9, I). C. Texaco Petroleum Products 476 Officers Directors Tyner, Miss E. J. 499 E. K. MORRIS BRUCE BAIRD President CHARLES S. BAKER United Fruit Company 498 HAROLD N. MARSH H. RANDOLPH BARBER Vice-Pres. and Counsel DANIEL L. BORDEN United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company 500 JAMES M. JOHNSTON HENRY P. ERWIN Vice-Pres. and Treasurer D. P. GAII.LARD Waldorf-Astoria Hotel IV COVER II. RANDOLPH BARBEE JAMES M. JOHNSTON Secretary HAROLD N. MARSH PAUL E. TOLSON A. N. MILLER Westinghouse Electric International Co. 493 Asst. Vice-Pres. CARROLL MORGAN S. WEBSTER ADAMS E. K. MORRIS Williams, R. C. & Co., Inc. .... 446 Asst. Vice-Pres. DONALD F. ROBERTS A. RUSSELL BARBEE FREDERIC N. TOWERS Asst. Secretary GRIFFITH WARFIELD Please mention THE AMERICAN FORIEGN SERVICE JOURNAL when writing to advertisers. SEPTEMBER. 1943 447 mmmmsz /VGAIN Firestone is FIRST with the BEST! The new Firestone DeLuxe Champion Tire is as truly American as the stars and stripes. It is built with American-m. de synthetic rubber and American-grown cotton by American workers. It is now ready for eligible car owners as released by the Government. And in mileage, in strength and in safety it upholds the Firestone tradition of “Best in Rubber—Synthetic or Natural.” BUTAPRENE ... The Synthetic Rubber Created By FIRESTONE All of the Butaprene being produced today is being used for war materials. But even after unlimited supplies of natural rubber are again available, Butaprene will be in tremendous demand because it has so many more uses than natural rubber. It will be a vital material in the wonderful world of tomorrow! BEST IN RUBBER Sysithetu- or Natural i THE NEW Firestone CHAMPION BUILT WITH AMERICAN-MADE SYNTHETIC RUBBER Copyright, 1943, The Fiiestone Tire & Rubber Co. HMMff THE FOREIGN JOURNAL ro PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION Ui VOL. 20. NO. 9 WASHINGTON. D. C. SEPTEMBER, 1943 Till: ALASKA HIGHWAY By JOHN RANDOLPH, Consul General, Edmonton THE Alaska Highway, called for a time the the highway passes, has had a colorful history ex¬ Alcan Highway, is something over 1,600 miles tending back to the gold rush davs of the Klondyke long. It runs to the city of Fairbanks, in central when many of the gold seekers, endeavoring to find Alaska, from Dawson Creek, a village in British a way through the dense forests and over the turbu¬ Columbia, near the Albertan border, where it joins lent rivers, were confronted with delays and the network of Alberta's compelled to endure win¬ highways which in turn ters of great severity. link up in many places Overcome by the difficul¬ with the trunk roads of the ties encountered and the United States. It traverses severity of the climate, the northeastern corner many failed to win of British Columbia and through to their destina¬ southwestern Yukon,cross¬ tion. Others, more suc¬ ing the boundary of Alas¬ cessful in completing the ka about 180 miles from hard journey from the the coast line. The ter¬ settlements of Alberta to rain, although rugged in Dawson City, in the places, offers no great ob¬ Yukon, were often a whole struction to road work. year on the w’ay. The roads cut through the And yet in this same Rocky Mountains where length of time, one year the Laird River has brok¬ only, the Alaska Highway, en through. It crosses the a miracle of northern en¬ intermountain plateau and gineering accomplishment, several spurs of the coast has been cut through this range, finally skirting the forbidding country by the flanks of the range and American Army, using following the Tanana bulldozers and other River to Fairbanks. equipment, the army engi¬ The part of northwest neers being followed by Canada, through which experienced personnel of SEPTEMBER. 1943 449 the Public Roads Administration assisted by deavors rival and probably surpass the building of Canadian and American contractors to carry out the Panama Canal. Of vital importance to Alaska the construction and build the bridges. Already and its protection and use in the present world crisis the pioneering work is completed. is the speed with which these undertakings are being Associated with the highway are many other proj - completed. ects. One is the construction of twenty-six airports Between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake one of the to facilitate aeroplane transportation to Alaska and several hundred bridges which have already been to afford protection along the highway, as well as built, some decidedly sizable, carries the highway- to serve the area where petroleum has been found. over the scenic Grand Canyon of the Liard, a great Another is the discovery, production, refining and northern river, which, however, is merely one of distribution of this petroleum, which is so neces¬ several of the great tributaries of the still greater sary for all flying and motor vehicle transportation, and northerly flowing Mackenzie River, which in as well as for the road building itself. Involved turn is one of the great rivers not only of northern with the foregoing is the improvement of different Canada but of the world.