Evening star., 1937-11-10
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Don't be surprised if the next move on
the blood-soaked Far Eastern chess
board is a subtle Japanese suggestion
that President Roosevelt is the logical
man to mediate the conflict in China.
Yesterdays White House call by the
Princeton undergraduate son of Prime
Minister Konoye may be straw of wind
indicating significance. Despite Tokio's
complete realization that public senti-
ment here is overwhelmingly pro-Chinese
and that the United States has ofiicially
branded Japan the aggressor, there is
conspicuous absence of hostility to this
country over there. Resentment is
voiced almost exclusively against the
British. In light of this situation, which
like everything else in wartime Japan
is government it would be
easy to understand her readiness to ac-
cept the offices of the great and good
friend in Washington when the time is
ripe for a truce and peace confab.
Shanghai's fall may well prove to be
the point at which Nippon's war lords
feel they could, without loss of face, let
Mr.. Roosevelt umpire an end of hoStil-
tiles, which Japan, because of her dearly
bought victories, Graves. AS it was an
other President Roosevelt who 80 years
ago promoted the settlement of the
Russo-Japanese War, Toxic has a dis
tinguished precedent should it decide to
commission the present occupant of the
White House to stop the slaughter in
Asia.
Determined as the President is be-
lieved to be to avoid burning Yankee
fingers in the Oriental fire, many Amer
leans are convinced his Messiah COM
plex" fills him with ambition to enact
abroad the sort of role he has esSayed
as chief apostle of the New Deal. Hav-
ing laid the foundations of the abundant
life at home-Shaky as these have be-
come-analysts Of the Roosevelt psychol-
ogy have long predicted that his ener-
Ries henceforth would be bent upon
fixing his place in history as progenitor
of a New Deal for the world To be
arbiter of the Sino-Japanese war, with
its far-flung international possibilities
for peace, disarmament, democracy and
trade freedom, might be regarded as
placing such chance within F. D. RS
grasp. No one would be more accept
able to the Chinese as a mediator than
the President of the United States
which is doubtless factor in Japans
reputed anxiety to proffer him so glitter
ing a crown of opportunity.
+ *
On the surface, Americas interest in
the Italo- o-German-Japanese alliance has
only academic interest. Actually, the
Fascist dreibund, with its pretended
Communist purpose, fills Washing
ton with some genuine concern. It's
miSgivings relate to Latin America and
to Italo- German intervention in SPAIN
Under guise of saving Spaniards from
Communism, Hitler and Mussolini are
Waging an undeclared war of interven-
ton AS the Japanese have partially
justified their aggression in China with
the Communist alibi, too, diplomats say
not much stretch of the imagination is
required to envision the Fascist allies as
conceiving for themselves a divine mis-
sion to preserve American republics from
the red demon. Germany has long
harbored South American colonial am
bitions, notably in Brazil. Italians are
numerous in various other states, espe-
cially Argentina. Japan in recent years
has made systematic efforts to colonize
the southern continent. Fascism is al
ready intrenched in many republics Of
the Pan-American Union. In several
countries on both sides Of the 1sthmus
Of Panama, wholly or sem. .dictatorial
OoQoun1nAnkS NV hold sway,