The Alaska daily empire., 1921-02-25
U. s. FACING JAPS'
 HOSTILITY, CLAIM
Won Tirpitz Discusses Pros pective Relations of
 World Powers.

ST. BLASIEN, Bauen, Feb. 25.- (By The Associated Press s)-Admir2l Von Tirpitz, German naval authority, in an interview here discussed the American naval program and its reference of the prospective relations of the United States with Great Britain and Japan.
 "Thee United States is about to build a great fleet he said. "As the country borders on both the Atlantic. and the Pacific and lacks outlying naval bases, America will presumably give attention to radius of action of her ships That holds good equally for battleships and battle cruisers and for submarines and aircraft. In creating navy, Americans should remember that Fthe great decision lies not in coest defenses but on the sea-
 The admiral entrusted America s position with that of Germany a few years ago and then said:
 Americas s great industrial growth and the consequent increase of her merchant marine requires increases of the navy, and it is my belief that America will not make the mistake that Germany did of trust ing the life and prosperity of its commerce and industry merely to the brotherly feeling of the English It is all very well to regard the brotherhood of nations as a distant aim worth striving for. but mean while providence has ordained rivalry to keep alive the impulse for national advancement. The United States will be forced to give their international trade a solid pro- lection, either through their own power, or through gaining political friends.
 While England, for the moment has only to consider Americas com mercial rivalry, yet the United States must contemplate the natural de- velopment of conflicting interests in the Pacific that call for decision and must inevitably face the econ omic, military and political hostility of Japan France is so complacently dependent on England that for a long time she cannot be political asset for the United States as she was in the Revolution days.
 "When, and in what manner the issues between the United States and Japan. will be decided. cannot now be foreGeen. In the interest of the world. war will be avoided. but behind that conflict will always be a growing conflict between England and America. America is prone to underestimate England's power. It is not America, but England with her numerous outposts and with hei bridgeheads advanced against other countries-even against the United States-that rules the waves and the world Such will be the case. though in a less degree. when Am erica owns a strong navy. In cer- tain way the position of the United States will be the same as Germany's before the war.
 "It must be further considered that England has gained supremacy in Europe; that her power covers all Africa. Mesopotamia and India, and that she holds the key to the Mediterranean at Constantinople, the Suez Canal and Gibraltar This control cOunterbalances the com. pactness of Americas territory
 He referred rather caustically tt British political foresight and de clared that regardless of Englands treaty with Japan and friendship with America she would turn where her political interests lay in case of conflict between Japan and the United States.
 EThe English would do as they
 (Continued on Page Seven