m
Cali to the Canal.

The entrances on either side of the Panama Canal are secretly mined.
The location of these mines is one of the most carefully guarded
secrets of the American navy and one of the most sought after by
international spies.

The Japanese, who have been fishing along the West Coast and
Panamanian waters for years, are the only fishermen who find it
necessary to use sounding lines to catch fish. Sounding lines are used
to measure the depths of the waters and to locate submerged ledges and
covered rocks in this once mountainous area. Any fleet which plans to
approach the Canal or use harbors even within several hundred miles
north or south of the Canal must have this information to know just
where to go and how near to shore they can approach before sending out
landing parties.

The use of sounding lines by Japanese fishermen and the mysterious
going and comings of their boats became so pronounced that the
Panamanian Government could not ignore them. It issued a decree
prohibiting all aliens from fishing in Panamanian waters.

In April, 1937, the "Taiyo Maru," flying the American flag but manned
by Japanese, hauled up her anchor in the dead of night and with all
lights out chugged from the unrestricted waters into the area where
the mines are generally believed to be laid. The "Taiyo" operated out
of San Diego, California, and once established a world's record of
being one hundred and eleven days at sea without catching a single
fish. The captain, piloting the boat from previous general knowledge
of the waters rather than by chart, unfortunately ran aground. The
fishing vessel was stranded on a submerged ledge and couldn't get off.

In the morning the authorities found her, took off her captain and
crew--all of whom had cameras--and asked why the boat was in
restricted waters.

"I didn't know where I was," said the captain. "We were fishing for
bait."

"But bait is caught in the daytime by all other fishermen," the
officials pointed out.

"We thought we might catch some at night," the captain explained.

Since 1934, when rumors of the Japanese-Nazi pact began to circulate
throughout the world, the Japanese have made several attempts to get a
foothold right at the entrance to the Canal on the Pacific side. They
have moved heaven and earth for permission to establish a
refrigeration plant on Taboga Island, some twelve miles out on the
Pacific Ocean and facing the Canal. Taboga Island would