The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-06
BANDITS WRECK BANK, FIGHT POSSE
Experts Doubt u. S.
Ability to Defeat Japan,
IF War Comes.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMs

M 1S44A4NO O4N, ECD' Wv 1ldG
w would happen If Japan sud-
denly declared war against the
United States?
There is nothing of the lingo in
this question. 1t is not put be-
cause the tragedy is considered
likely. But the incredibly reckless
course steered by the Japanese
general staff since September has
left the world gasping-and won
dering.
War between the United States
and Japan would be far from the
walkover the man in the street
might have reason to think.
Strategists in Europe as we'll as in
America even doubt if we could
win a purely military victory over
Japan.
Every great power has its war
plans against every other power
or combination of powers. Japan
is no exception. Her war plans
against the United States call for
a series of sudden, swift blows at
distant points, then to wait for us
TO bring the war to them.
=
CHIEFLY, she would strike in
~ the Far East, 5000 miles from
our west coast, 5000 miles from
our eastern industrial centers, and
more than 1000 miles from New
York, via Panama, the shortest
all-water route.
American and foreign army and
navy officers and internationally
known military critics agree that
the following plan of campaign
likely would be followed, at least
in the initial stages:
The Japanese would seize the
Philippines which, since the Wash
ington conference, are wide open to
capture by any strong, treaty
breaking power.
simultaneously, would be taken
the island of Guam, our unde-
Tended base 1900 miles east of
Manila. AS the japanese already
hold the Pelew, Caroline and Mar
shall islands, by mandate, stretch
ing two-thirds of the way from
the Philippines to Hawaii, our sea
route thus would be thanked for
some 1900 miles.
While the above was going on,
the Panama canal probably would
be put out of commissioned by
seizure, but by sabotage of some
kind, blocking this vital waterway
during the openeing stages OF hos
tilitieS, if no longer.
Submarine anbushes would be
laid along the route from Hawaii
to the Philippines-a route 4,767
miles long.
TINE water passages between the
/ continuous chain of japanese
islands would be mined, from the
peninsula of Kamchatka in the
north to the East Indies in the
south, making access to China
from the Pacific almost impossible.
Fast cruisers would be sent out
as commerce-raiderS, as Germany
did with the Emden and other
ships during the World war; also,
submarines to harass our lines OF
communication and break our
morale.
Japan's capital ships, with their
auxiliaries, would be kept intact,
close to home, ready to meet our
fleet 5000 miles from our main
land.
Japan likely would force our
fleet to fight in waters near
enough to her bases to permit al
most the full strength of her air
forces to wing into action. Our
planes, of course, would have to
operate from carriers.
"TF America fights in the Pacific"
L Hector Bywater, British naval
critic said, before the present crisis
arose, "it will be, among other
things, for the protection-or, what
is more likely, for the recovery
of the Philippines.
ITO do this, she must be pre-
pared to undertake naval opera
lions in the immediate zone of war,
namely the far western Pacific.
How this is to be done without
local base facilities is a problem
which apparently def1es solution.
ct is certain that in their pres
ent defenseless condition, both the
Philippines and Guam would be-
come japanese in the first weeks Of
war for gooG or i'll, the doors
of the Far East have been
slammed, barred and bolted, and
the keys placed in the hands Of
Japan"
Which is far from a pleasant
picture. Victory for us would be
a long, hard pull, for Japan's weak
ness is economic rather than mill
tary.