Army Tests Smoke Defense

The Fourth Fighter Command conducts a smoke defense test in Santa Monica during World War II. Two soldiers stand at the intersection of Cloverfield Boulevard and Pearl Street. The accompanying Evening Outlook caption reads: "Attended by scores of high ranking army officers from all sections of the Pacific Coast, as well as by a number of observers from the Navy Department, the Fourth Fighter Command's second smoke screen test was conducted in the Santa Monica Bay District late yesterday. Army officials in charge of the demonstration indicated today that a continuation of the operations is to be expected as the effectiveness of the screen under different wind and weather conditions must be studied carefully. The procedure yesterday was similar to that followed in the initial test, with police, auxiliary police and soldiers on duty to divert traffic from points where driving was made unsafe by the smoke..."