TERRITORY OF ALASKA: An intense 48-hour bombing campaign against Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands is begun by the US Army Air Forces' 11th Air Force and the U.S. Navy's Patrol Wing Four (PatWing 4). The 11th Air Force dispatches five Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and five Consolidated B-24 Liberators from bases on Umnak and Cold Bay to bomb landing beaches where the Japanese are unloading supplies for the garrison; one B-24 is shot down. Japanese fighters attack the bombers and chase them as far as Umnak Island where US fighters rise and chase the Japanese fighters away. The Consolidated PBY Catalinas of PatWing 4 are operating from Atka Island serviced by the Seaplane Tender, Destroyer USS Gillis (AVD-12, ex DD-260); the PBYs also bomb the landing beaches. The bow of the Japanese destroyer HIJMS Hibiki is nearly destroyed by the bombs of the American aircraft.

CANADA: RPO Julien Duschesne RCN, S/Lt Maurice Samuel Hartleuy RCNVR and LCdr James Sutherland Wilson RCNVR awarded Mention in Dispatches.

U.S.A.: Washington: The White House announced today that Maxim Litvinov, the Soviet ambassador to the United States, has signed a new US-Soviet lend-lease deal. The agreement was worked out by the Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, who, travelling under the alias of "Mr. Brown", secretly visited Washington between 29 May and 4 June.

The deal promises continued US lend-lease aid and provides for post-war economic co-operation. In the talks Molotov stressed, and the USA accepted, the need for a second front in Europe.

Today's "Christian Science Monitor" has an article:

"U.S. Flying Fortresses routed Japan's raid on Midway Island, Army report says," Jun 11, 1942, pp. 1 and 10:
 

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Getting in the first blow, United States Army bombers made first contact with the enemy far west of Midway on the afternoon of June 3. This was apparently the Japanese transport column. In medium altitude attacks against a barrage of antiaircraft fire the Army planes hit and set fire to a Japanese cruiser or battleship and also left a transport and a destroyer in flames.

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Col. Walter C. Sweeney, Jr., of San Francisco, who led a squadron of Flying Fortresses in attacks on June 3 and 4, gave this graphic description:

"There was a big battle line, with destroyers outside, then cruisers, battleships and away back the carriers, which we picked for our target.

"We picked the biggest carrier and headed for it.

"The minute our bomb bays opened the ack-ack started coming up. It was fine shooting, and the Japs must have good range finders because the first shots were right at our altitude.

"The Jap ships started their frantic escape maneuvers, but our pattern of bombs blanketed a carrier. We got at least one definite hit on the port bow of the carrier and saw flame and smoke of the explosion.

"A few Zeros (Japanese Navy fighters) came up at us ... but we lost them quickly due to our speed and their faintheartedness." <<<<<<<<<<<<<

Mr. Ito declared that the Midway and Aleutian attacks of the Japanese were a "coup de grace" for the United States aircraft carrier force while, he said, the Japanese fleet remained only slightly affected. ...

"Even if Japanese Army forces had not occupied key points— which they did, and the operations reportedly are still progressing in the Aleutian group—the naval operation in this area would have been particularly significant in that it destroyed important military objectives which otherwise could have been made a foothold for air-raiding Japan," Domei quoted Mr. Ito.

The United States Navy has denied that there was any Japanese landing in the Aleutians, so this claim by the Japanese would seem essentially to reflect concern over raids on the Japanese home islands. ...

"... What is most significant in these operations (Aleutians and Midway) is

the fact that the Japanese Navy succeeded in sinking a United States aircraft carrier force consisting of the Enterprise and Hornet," Mr. Ito said.

The United States has listed only hits on one aircraft carrier and loss of a destroyer as its price of victory last week in the Pacific operations. ...

Domei quoted Admiral Sato as boasting that "as a result of its defeat, the United States must abandon its plan to aid Australia aggressively and must devote itself to the simple defending of its own shores.

"He said Australia has been 'orphaned' while the Panama Canal has become exposed to attack."

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(Will O'Neil)