World: To the Shores of Cathay

U.S. naval air power had stretched its reach the full width of the Pacific. U.S. carrier-borne planes dominated the skies 6,000 miles west of the American mainland. For the first time, they roared up & down the China coast. If a landing in China was, as Fleet Admiral Nimitz said, "still an objective," then last week's forays by Vice Admiral John S. McCain's fast carrier task force showed that the aerial umbrella to cover it was already available.

But that was not the immediate purpose of "Jock" McCain's strikes. He was beating down enemy...

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