"It was strategically very important who controlled those islands," says Goldstein. The Americans stationed there "kept the Japanese from the West Coast and from invading the U.S. mainland.... From a strategic point of view, you can't underestimate the situation there. Look at a map! The Aleutians aren't very far from Seattle."
Hate to disagree with the historian, but who on earth would conclude you can take the US mainland from Attu???!?!?!?!?
I don’t think the article meant taking the mainland of Alaska from Attu. Obviously not, Attu is a looong ways from the mainland of Alaska...at least a thousand miles away, maybe more, I’d have to look at a map.
I think it meant Attu was to be the first stepping stone of taking the Aleutian chain, once the Aleutian chain was taken, they were to be the base for taking the mainland.