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{
    "localId": "207522049",
    "label": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, with Attachments",
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{
    "id": "207522049",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, with Attachments",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/207522049",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
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    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/207522049",
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    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1950-01-01",
            "year": 1950
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    "seq": 3,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "NR :\nC 56410\nPAGE 2\nthe vital Malaya-Philippine-Japan shipping lanes\nand sever our position in Japan from supporting\nbases in the Philippines as well as from the sources\nof raw materials in Southeast Asia. Specifically\nFormosa provides the USSR with capabilities for\noperations against the central and southern flank of\nthe present United States frontier comprising the\nlittoral island chain from Hokkaido through the\nPhilippine Archipelago which cannot be accomplished\nfrom bases available, or prospectively available to\nthe USSR on the Asiatic mainland.\nA. Additional air bases on Northern Formosa,\nwhich are one hundred miles closer to Okinawa\nthan any point on the Chinese mainland, increase by\n100 per cent the Soviet air effort which can be\ndirected against Okinawa. Assuming that in event\nof war USSR jet fighters will be no less effective\nthan those currently available to FEAF, Soviet\njets operating from Formosa will have a 50 per\ncent greater operating time over Okinawa than\ncan such aircraft operating from Shanghai. This\nreduced distance can also be utilized to increase\nbomb or rocket loads by 500 pounds, or enable such\naircraft to strike United States shipping 100\nmiles east of Okinawa.\nB. Clark Air Force Base and Northern Luzon,\nwhich are beyond the range of fighter aircraft\nbased either on the Chinese mainland or on Hainan,\nare within effective operating ranges of jet\nfighters based on Southern Formosa. The concentra-\ntion of available air bases on Southern Formosa\nis five times greater than United States-Philippine\nair bases currently operational in Northern Luzon.\nNARA\nC. In addition to the foregoing capabilities\npertaining to jet aircraft, bases on Formosa\nmaterially increase the capabilities for operations\nCM IN 4359\n(29 May 50)\nmp"
}