Evening star., 1934-05-06

BY WILLIAM r. CASTLE, Jr,
Former Under Secretary of State Of the
United States.
w WIEN national doctrine
\ \ | widely affecting interna-
wv tional treaty rights is in
the making it is generally
kept secret or is conf
dentially discussed with the nations
which will be most affected. When
the announcement is to be made the
government very carefully chooses
the time and method in order to
make as good an impression as posi-
BILE. AS a rule the announcement is
more or less formal, either. through
publication Of diplomatic notes or
through a message to the parliament.
1t was in this latter manner that
President Monroe announced to the
world the doctrine later called by his
name. 1t was through publication OF
the correspondence with other gov
ernments that John Hay announced
the policy of the open door in China.
1t is frequently, also, true that the
great changes in law and internation-
al relationships result from interna-
tional conferences, either following
war or called for some specific pur-
pose. A good example OF the latter
is the Washington Conference OF
1922, which produced not only the
limitation of capital ships, but also
the treaties concerning China.
May Be Trial Balloons.
1t is to be remembered that the
japanese government has chosen
none of these methods to make known
its new China policy; this fact makes
one wonder whether the policy Is ac-
tually fixed. whether these rather
vague pronouncements by minor Of
ficials may not be in the nature Of
trial balloons. The japanese gov
ernment did not discuss the matter
with any other nation. The time
chosen for the story to become public
was not carefully chosen in SO far
as the effect on world opinion is con-
cerned, although it may well be, as
the press has pointed out. that Japan
believed Europe to be too busy with
its own suspicious and incipient dis
putes to care much what went on in
the Orient. I am inclined to feel
that in all probability Mr.. Hirota
himself is not any too pleased to have
this question thrown, at this time,
into the international gossip mill, un-
less-which I do not believe-the poll
icy is purely tentative and the story
was put out merely to get the reac-
tion of other countries.
When I was a member Of the De-
partment of State we had the habit OF
discussing and therefore of formulat-
ing the foreign policy of the Govern
ment on specific issues by exchanging
memoranda, this often being prelimi-
nary to a personal conference between
interested officers. Toward the end OF
the discussions I might have written
memorandum for the use Of the
Secretary in which I should have
said: THE following is the concensus
of opinion among the interested Off
GERS of the department as to what
stand our Government should take
toward"-whatever was the question
at issue.
| Calculated Indiscretion.
Now, if copy of that memorandum
had found its way to the Office of the
man in charge of press relations, and
| if Mr.. McDermott had been anything
| but very wise young man, that copy
might well have found its way into
the hands of the press. 1t would have
been an error, but foreign govern
ments would have delighted in calling
| it a calculated indiScretion.
may be entirely wrong-but is 1t
not worth considering whether some
thing like this may not actually have
happened in the Gaimusho Japanese
Foreign ONCE? We at least must not
lose sight of the fact that the state
ment of policy" as we have it now,
can be partially or even completely
repudiated by the Japanese govern
ment at a moments notice. 1t is in
no sense "official"-yet. That is a
fact which must not for an instant
i be lost sight of. because to do so
would be disaster.
Already chorus of disapproval has
made itself heard This is both natural
! and right. because if the intentions of
the Japanese government have been
accurately stated, we have right to
be deeply displeased. The policy as
enunciated would certainly seem to
make China a vassal state to Japan
China, to be fiat reputation Of the
nine-power treaty of 1922 and, in
deed, of all the treaties concerning
China. The policy as amplif1ed would
seem to deny to foreigners the right
to sell to China airplanes or anything
| which might be turned to military use,
to lend money to China except with
the concurrence Of Japan, or to send
technical instructors to China.
May Be Forced to Adopt Policy.
This has not been officially an
nounced as the policy Of Japan. If,
however, the governments of the world
listen to the clamor of the anti-Japa-
nese and Immediately protest to ia
pan, that government will be COM
PEELED to answer with definition Of
, its policy; and in order not to close
face" it in all probability will be
forced to adopt very much the policy
outlined in press dispatches. I have
no doubt that the Secretary of State
fully realizes this danger, since he has,
among the permanent officials of his
department, highly trained men who
| know the Orient. We must not be
the means of forcing the adoption of
q policy which we deplore.
The first duty of the Department OF
State seems to me to be to sit tight
until this new Japanese policy has
either been officially defined or for
gotten. # the world and Japan per-