Evening star., 1936-03-01

I
disturbances which must inevitably
lead to bloodshed. Our people in
Japan will see in the death of score
of Chinese a conflict beween the white
and the yellow races. I am seriously
worried lest my government may not
be in a position to prevent a popular
outburst against the white domination
of China. You may have to haul
down the Union Jack" Matsuidara
drew in his breath and, smiling in
most friendly manner, added, This
does not express the views of my gov
ernment. am just thinking aloud"
And by a strange coincidence, when
the Japanese minister at the Hague
called Informally on the Dutch foreign
minister, he discoursed on a number
of questions, but principally on Japan's
lack of oil, and suggested that it might
be advisable for the Dutch government
to sell Borneo and Sumatra to Japan.
You can write your own check" said
the japanese diplomat, tit would really
be much cheaper for her majesty's
government to take large sum than
to spend so much more defending
those islands"
Real Move Southwark.
Japan is waiting only for the out.
break of European war to expand"
toward the south. The maritime
provinces are of secondary impor-
| tance. The conquest of Siberia to
Baikal Lake is important because it
would remove potential enemy from
the Manchukuoan border But the
real move of the japanese must be
southwark.
| American diplomacy, weak as it Is
in regard to Europe, is well informed
about the Far East. The trend of the
japanese ambitions became clear the
day Gen. Honjo's army entered Muk-
den. And Great Britain, which had
spurned Americas advances in 1882,
is making eleventh-hour efforts to CO.
ordinate its policies with those of the
United States. The British admiralty
abandoned its claims for small bat
tleship, opposed the japanese naval
parity demand and eased Japan out
of the London conference with true
British grace.
The United States responded to the
British advances. 1t strengthened
Britains hand at Geneva, drafted
neutrality bill to prevent the export Of
oil to Italy, Britain's potential foe:
; then dropped 1t when it appeared TO
be more detrimental to the empire in
case of trouble in the Far East. The
United States Fleet, which was trans
ferred temporarily to the Pacific, Is
now there to stay
Furthermore, while there has been
no official offer to the American Navy
. to make herself at home in Singa-
PORE" Great Britain will not hesitate
, to offer the freedom of the port to
American men-of-war should they
happen to be around there under diff
hcult circumstances. Stanley Baldwin
, denied emphatically two weeks ago
that Great Britain had offered the
use of Singapore to the United States
Navy in exchange for a compromise
on the size of the bsttleship-and he
spoke the truth. 1t is not for such
futile purpose that Great Britain
is willing to offer a shelter to the
United States when it Is far from
; home.
Roosevelt Watching Early.
President Roosevelt was thinking OF
the possibilities of dangerous situa-
. ton in the Western Pacific as far
back as 1898. When Edouard Herriot
came to Washington to discuss debts,
they talked Indo-China. Mr.. Roose-
velt was interested in the Saigon
naval base and in the new military
port of Cape Saint Jacques, north OF
) Saigon.
OF course the British interests in
the Far East are more important than
/ the American. The total British in
/ vestments in China alone exceed ST..
900, 900, 900, while the American rep.
resent barely fifth of that amount.
And the British are worried.
The government and the navy in
Great Britain see in the plans OF the
Japanese toward the south direct
challenge to the British Empire. They
!. see a threat not only to their estab-
; lished position in China but to India
, and Australia. And, reluctantly. the
British Imperial Defense Council has
, come to the conclusion that show
) down with Japan may be necessary in
the near future.
= The eyes of Great Britain are once
1 more turned on the United States.
During these last weeks there has
, been an encouraging response, as far
as the British are concerned, from
Washington.
The naval building program Is being
speeded up. This Is only natural
under the present circumstances. But
two speeches have been made recently.
In Washington, Senator Pittman de-
clared Japan menace to the United
States. Coming from the chairman Of
, the Senate's Foreign Affairs Commit
tee, this statement was significant.
Undersecretary Phillips spoke in Chi
cago The second in command in the
State Department is a diplomat by
training and by profession. Mr.. Phil
l lips is never known to speak out Of
. turn; quite the contrary. Yet, in Chi.
:. cago, the Undersecretary of State, re.
framing automatically from mention.
: ing Japan by name, sounded warn.
ing that this country Is determined
not to abandon the open door policy
in China.
Mr.. Pittman was irked by the atti-
tude of the Japanese in regard to the
Philippines. Mr.. Phillips spoke about
the open door because the so-called
independent governments created in
China by Toxic are levying heavy
duties on American and British goods
when products manufactured in Japan
are admitted duty free.
The State Department, conceding
that the trade in China is of no great
consequence, bears in mind there are
: 500, 900, 900 people living in that coun-
! try. Within generation or two this
population may have a purchasing
power.
The question is whether investments
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