The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-30
THUNDER IN THE ORIENT

THERE doesn't seem to be much doubt in
i the minds of those who should know that
the chief threat of war is in the far east. The
crucial center of world affairs has moved to
the Pacific for some time to come. The
experts are agreed or that. But they are not
agreed on much else.
Just what the roles Of Japan, China, Russia,
the European powers and the United States
may be in the many-sided conflicts of the
far east is subject to varying interpretations.
And the presses are turning off a goodly
number of those interpretations-newsp
articles magazines and books.
Two books have Just appeared which are
apt to get wider hearing than most on this
this subject, one because of it's authoritative
nature and the other because it is lurid. The
first is Empire in the East" edited by Joseph
Barnes Doubleday Doran). The second is
The Menace of Japan" by T. OConroy
(Kinsey)
Empire in the East" is the best single
volume which has appeared on the contempo-
rary political and economic problems of the
Orient. 1t is sponsored by the Institute of
succeeded in getting the full value out of the
symposium method by selecting contributors
with a reasonable degree of unity of viewpoint
and by allowing them freedom to handle the
individual subjects on which they are experts
Tyler bennett, formerly of the state de-
partment, writes of The Open Door; Grover
Clark, publicist of long experience in China,
4e Of
mented by Frederick " Fields chapter on
the Battle of the Bankers.
Nathaniel PETER in brilliant summary on
the question Peace or WARP" finds the answer
in the nationalism and imperialism of the
western powers. He concludes:
I'VE must so reshape our social system
that we shall not be compelled to take advan-
tage of the disparity by political aggressions
for economic ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Thus, and thus
alone. can the far east be eliminated as
theater of war. For only thus can the causes
of war in the far east be removed"
Professor r. OCohroy, late of Keio univer-
Sty. Toxic, should have read something like
the calm and objective Empire in the East"
before writing his Menace of Japan" AS it
LS Ills DOOK OOeS not nave the unusual lmpOr-
lance credited to it by the enthusiastic George
Bernard Shaw.
OConroy went to Japan fifteen years ago
with rather naive ideas of paradise and
recently came away heavy with experience
and establishment. He knows japan thor
oughly. Too thoroughly, perhaps-in the sense
that he is too close, that he does not measure
her sins alongside the sins of other nations
Granting the truth of the terrible indictment
which he brings against the Japanese mill
tarists, it can be matched in kind if not in
degree in any other country.
His argument is simple Japan is working
at top speed towards a war"-and st call
upon the powers to face the situation, to take
some means for insuring peace by threatening
Japan, and if necessary by exhibiting force"
All of which would be very fine solution
if the powers were not tarred by the same
stick as Japan, if the powers had any unity
Of purpose in the far east, and if a war against
militarism ever ended in anything except more
militarism