Evening star., 1936-11-29


they have access to Spain's raw ma
terials.
Technically, the Wilhelmstrasse dip
lomats are correct when they state
that there is no alliance with Japan.
There exists, however, the same
parallelism of interests which brought
the Reich and Italy together.
For the past two years the intel
hgence services Of Europe and Amer
lea have been reporting close co-op.
Grafton between Japan and Germany.
German specialists in chemical war
fare, airplane constructors and naval
architects from German naval yards
and airplane factories have been sent
to Japan since 1884 TO teach the
japanese the latest developments In
these branches of warfare. German
flyers have been instructing young
Japanese aviators, while engineers
from Krupp have been assigned to
the ordnance departments of the
Toxic war and navy ministries.
At one time, about 18 months ago,
there were something like 165 Ger
man specialists in Japan. Today their
number is said to have quadrupled.
Furthermore, in order to show his es-
TEEN for the valiant Japanese nation,
Hitler decreed two years ago that the
Japanese be considered by the Ger
mans as honorary Aryans.
Covers Two Emergencies.
The community Of interests between
Japan and the Reich covers two DOS.
sible emergencies. 1t is based on an
understanding that if either of the
two countries becomes involved in a
war against the Soviet republics the
other Immediately will engage Russia
in war on its own front.
This agreement is not of recent
date. 1t is about 18 months old. It
Is because Germany was not prepared
to embark on such an adventure that
the Japanese, twice in the course of
the last year and half, have post
poned their attack against the Soviet
forces in Siberia. The Rhine had not
been remilitarized and the German
military machinery was not in a posi-
tlon TO engage in an aggressive war.
The other possible emergency is a
European war involving Great Britain.
Despite the empires lack of prepara-
tion, the Berlin government is worried
about the possibility of Britain enter
Ing the European arena and taking
along with her a number of smaller
nations such as Turkey. Greece and
possibly Yugoslavia and Rumania.
merely because Of the legend which
still exists in Europe that Britain is
invincible.
As long as the British government
Is concerned with only one front. it
may yield to the pressure of public
opinion and try to stop the aggressive
intentions of the authoritarian states.
But the day when Britain positively
knows that in the event of its becom-
Ag involved in war in Europe. the
possibility Of an attack in the Pacific
must also be considered, the chances
are that the British public will bring
no pressure on its government to
save" the democracies of the world.
The actual terms of the Japanese
German understanding concerning
the Pacific are, of course, a matter
OF conjecture. Nobody in London or
IN Washington can say that he knows
the details OF that agreement. There
are sufhcient indications, however, to
justify the assumption that the jana.
nese have agreed to move their naval
and air forces against the British
possessions of Hongkong and Singa-
pore if Great Britain becomes en-
gagged in a European conflict.
Warning to Great Britain.
Whether this assumption is correct
or not, OILY the future will tell. But
the fact remains that the announce.
ment Of the German-Japanese under
standing at the present moment has
served as an indirect warning to Great
Britain to consider we'll before decid-
ing to cross Messrs. Hitler and Musso-
lini.
The three "have-nots" are together
at the present moment, challenging
the democracies, or what is left of
the democracies of the world. They
have surrounded them with a net Of
steel. The machinery of democracy,
which has to take into consideration
the pulse of public opinion, necessa-
rily is much slower than the propelling
power of the "one-man" governments,
where everything is decided by small
group of men.
And, while in London, Washington
and Paris diplomats are figuring on
checkmating the aggressiveness of
the three dictatorship by some kind
of collective understanding to limit
set in motion again
the clogged wheels of international
trade-Berlin, Rome and Toxic are
going straight ahead with their plans
to destroy the shackles which until
now have made them second-class
powers.
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